Varian Watch
by Rain4evah
Summary: The Queen fears him; the Captain and everyone else hates him: and the King desires in his heart to help him. Varian; the hated traitor. Unexpected happenings and visitors from abroad gives the King the chance he has been waiting for. Will he dare to take it? At the same time, a secret enemy merges from where he least expect it. OC's and liberties taken.
1. Prologue

**I know season 3 is just around the corner, but I just couldn't help myself. I have been working on this idea for a while, and had to release it as fast as I could. Note; this is actually a crossover with Tanged The Series and not Frozen the Movie, but a book in the Frozen universe named A Frozen Heart. **

**Prologe **

"All set?" Eugene said as he loaded the last bag of supplies into the wagon.

"Yup!" Lance said quite laidback. "All that's left now, is the ladies."

"Yeah, who knows how long THAT'S gonna take!" Hook Foot muttered and leaned against the wagon.

"Just as long as I need after a round with cabbage stew." Shorty said from the driving seat where he snoozed, half lying on his crossed arms. "And believe me, you better keep a distance after that!"

There was an awkward silence between the men, before Lance broke the silence. "Eeeh Shorty... The girls has gone down to talk with the kid."

"Yeah, we all need an excuse, right?" Shorty replied grinning.

Eugene squeezed the brim of his nose, cleared his throat and spoke. "Lance, let's go tell The Majesties we're done."

"Yeah, right." Lance replied, obviously glad to leave the embarrassing scene. A but away Lance took up something on his mind. "You know, I just think it's too bad, Eugene."

"Yeah, I know it's kind of sad that we're off with Rapunzel like that just a year after her return, but the circumstances don't actually leave us much choice."

"I'm talking about the kid, Eugene." Lance said. "I mean, not long ago, we spoke up for Red and Angry, and that really gave me a good feeling. This on the other hand, gives me nothing but bad guts in my belly. I mean... what happened with; We can't put children in prison?"

Eugene's cheerful grin faded and for a moment it looked like he got a sour taste in his mouth. "Hey, one thing was a pair of orphans who had been misguided all their lives. But Varian's treason towards the Kingdom and attempt of Queen-murder is different."

"Maybe, but..." Lance wriggled himself. "Isn't he... almost kind of an orphan? His father, well... In many ways, is he actually any different from us?"

"Hey, I see no reason to compare threatening he whole Kingdom is different from stealing people's property. And we've never actually almost murdered anyone. I mean, he almost killed the Queen."

"Yeah, but you stole from her once."

Lance immediately regretted his words as he saw how they struck his friend. His normally absentminded smile faded and he got a painful lost look in his brown eyes. It looked like he got a kick in his chest and Lance wished he could take those words back. "I'm sorry, man. I... I didn't mean that. Forgive me. That was rude. I had no right. Bad Lance, bad dumb Lance! Mean Lance!" he said, and gave himself a couple of hard slaps in the face, so hard in fact that he felt pain from it, and made a face when he realized this. "Outch! Man, I felt that!"

Eugene looked at his friend, and couldn't help but chuckle, and smiled a little. "Don't worry." he replied and drew his breath. "In a way, I actually agree. I don't like this more than any others. But let's just face fact; until Varian manages to cool off, there's few chances we'll get through with him. He's too angry to listen to reason. I mean..." He lifted up his hand, showing off some biting marks. "I've still got this."

"Huh?" Lance widened his eyes. "Still?"

"Still!" Eugene said, stroking the marks lightly.

"I guess you're right..." Lance said and sighed. "But... his dad... Do you think he's still alive?"

"That's hard to know until we get him out of there."

The two men looked to see the Queen approach them, gracefully and calm like always. The sight made Eugene jump a little inside, Lance noticed, but he quickly regained himself and smiled while he gave deep bow. "Your Majesty!"

Lance hurried to follow his example. "Your Majesty!"

Arianna smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Now, why so formal today, Eugene? You're normally are so lead back?"

Lance noticed how Eugene got obviously disturbed, and hurried to speak. "Oh he's just showing me how it's done properly. Remember, I have yet to beat the professionals!" He winked at Eugene, who chuckled and smiled gratefully.

"That's a word for it."

Arianna chuckled as well. "You're doing just fine, Lance." Then she straitened up and spoke with a serious tone. "Is everything set?"

"Just waiting for the girls." Eugene replied.

"Yup!" Lance said and straightened up. "Nothing can go wrong now."

Both men froze as they heard a crashing sound, and then Hook Foot cry out and let out a few curses that was far from appropriate in current presence. Lance cleared his throat and gave a quick bow. "Will Your Majesty excuse me for a sec?" Then he disappeared over the wagon. "Hook Foot, I told ya; lift with your knees, not your back!"

Eugene smirked and shook his head. "This trip won't be boring, that's for sure!"

"Certainly." Arianna replied. "It's going to get awfully boring without you here."

"Nah! You won't even notice we're gone." Eugene said in a joking tone, but then wriggled himself a moment, feeling uncomfortable at sudden. It was half a chance that she could have heard what they had talked about, and he wasn't sure of what to reply. But he decided to toughen up and break the ice himself. "Hey, how... How are you doing, really?" he asked and gave her a concerned look.

"I'm fine, Eugene. I know that Rapunzel is grown enough to manage this, and I'm safe since she won't traveling alone."

"No, what I meant was... How are you doing after... I mean, are you... alright?"

The question made her smile fade, but the saw the concern in Eugene's eyes and sighed. "I still have trouble sleeping. Something like that... doesn't let go so easy." she smiled again to calm him down, as he almost seemed to regret his question. "Thank you for asking."

He smiled gratefully , and she took few steps closer. "Please be careful on this journey."

"Why sure, we won't do anything until it's necessary."

"I meant you, dear." she replied and walked closer, touching his cheek gently and warmly. "Be careful, Eugene."

The concern in her green eyes moved Eugene, and he put his other hand over hers where she held it. "As her Majesty commands!"

Arianna chuckled and surprised him by embracing him in a hug. Eugene was a little put out of place, but once felt that she really meant it, he found it only natural to reply it the same way. She had never really said it, but the way she had been later, and the fact that the matter with the ring never had been brought up again gave Eugene the impression that she had forgiven him about it. Just that matter alone gave him an enourmous feeling of loyalty towards Her Majesty.

_I've been so lucky it's almost unfair._ he thought to himself as he blinked to keep some sudden tears away. I really should try to make it worth it And I'm gonna! One way or another!


	2. Chapter 1 Varian in the Dungeon

**Chapter 1: Varian in the Dungeon**

Down in the dungeon basement, Rapunzel walked past all the cells, with the Captain of the Guards on her left, and Cassandra on the right. The floor felt cold against her bare feet, and the air was cool. It could be the draft, or it could be inside of her, she wasn't sure. The only thing she was certain of was that she was uncomfortable.

When she decided at breakfast with her parents and Eugene, the last meal she'd have with them for a long time, that she would give him one more try before going, her parents hadn't tried to stop her, but they had looked at her with skeptic eyes.

"Rapunzel, I will not stop you if you want to try, but I must warn you." her father had begun. "He'll probably not be in the mood for... reconciling."

"He's still too angry to listen to reason." her mother said. "It's not likely you'll get any reason out of him either."

"I know, but I can't just give him up like that!"

Eugene had been aquwardly silent when Varian was mentioned, but when she gave him a questioning look, he quicky swallowed his food and spoke. "You just... do what you need to do, Blondie. The rest of us will finish the preperations so we can just head off."

It wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear, but at the same time she reslized how dificult this had to be for everyone. So she finished her meal and rose from her seat.

"But you're not going by yourself, Rapunzel." her father said.

"Fine." she said shortly.

They had to pass two doors before they came to the cell. As she closed in, she almost felt like she was being squeezed, just like the time in the vault where she and Varian had almost been squeezed alive by one of the booby traps. Whenever she thought back on that day, when he still appeared normal, she wondered what she could have done different. If there was anything she could have done to prevent any more damage. If there could have been something... Anything... She should have...

She felt the guilt wreck her inside out, but weren't able to put words on it. Even thought she knew the truth.

They approached the last door, and the Csptsin unlocked it, and she hesitsted to stepp forward. She felt a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to do this, you know." Cassandra said.

Her words only made her straighten up and take a deep breath. "Yes, I have to!" As the Captain opened the door, she stepped forward, more determinant than ever. Cassandra looked at her father, who in turn put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you up to this, my dear?"

The look Cassandra got on her face was so stern and hard that if she could freeze with her gray eyes, she would have. "Sure, dad!" she said and started walking after her Princess.

When they approached the cell, they heard a soft croon, and were greeted by Ruddiger. The little raccoon crawled to the bars and looked up on her. She kneeled down and gave him a pat on his head. "Hi Ruddiger. How are you? Poor thing, you shouldn't be here." she said softly.

The little animal crooned back with sad eyes and turned back to look at his master, as if telling in his own way 'I'm more worried about him!' Rapunzel looked up, and her smile faded.

He was a frightening sight. The cell was so dark that his hair went one with the wall, one would think the figure was headless if it wasn't for the pale skin barely visible underneath it, visible because of the flaming toartch on the wall outside. Both his feet were chained to a heavy iron ball, that he used as a seat. He sat with his arms in chains that were stuck in the wall above him, but were long enough for him to move.

Oh, Varian. I never wanted this.

"Is it really necessary to chain him this heavy?" Rapunzel asked the Captain as she rose.

"He's shown tendency to be a little... violent towards those who handle him." the Captain explained.

"Handle him?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"To be honest, Princess, he refuse to cooperate about anything, he becomes wild and hotheaded. So the only way we can interfere with him is simply to go hard on him. And he has tried to escape when we open, so we simply have to do it this way."

Rapunzel sighed and decided to pull it no further. "Wery well. Open the door."

The Captain obayed, and found the key to the cell door. Cassandra made an atepmt to follow, but Rapunzel held her hand up, stopping her. The lady-in-waiting seemed to object, but Rapunzel gave her a stern look that surprised her. The Captain put a hand on her shoulder and when she looked at him, he gave her a look that indicated that she shouldn't object.

So Rapunzel went in by herself. With slow steps, making sure not to make any rough movements. She felt like she was walking past a wild beast, but she wasn't gonna let herself off guard like that. She stopped about three feet away from him. Ruddiger appeared by his side, patting on his knee. "Hi Varian."

There was no sound from him, but she could barely see him tighten his gloved fists, and almost felt the tense spread in the room.

"We're leaving now." When she got no response, she continued. "My father told me the same thing you concluded with; that there is a connection between me and the... rocks. So now, we're... going to find out just what that connection... is." she tried to smile, but the chained figure showed as much reaction as a statue. "Hopefully, when we find it, we'll also be able to find out how to... perhaps... free him. "

His eyes all of a sudden responded. He looked slightly up, his blue eyes barely visible under his mop of hair, glaring at her, and his mouth showed sign of turning into a frown. It was a frightening sight. Had this really been the same sweet boy she once met and liked so much?

Rapunzel sighed. "Look, I had hoped that before we went off, we could try to... talk things through."

Still no words. Has he really lost all sense? Is he still there?

"Look... If we could have done things different, I would gladly do that. But the way things are now... You've put yourself in quite a difficult situation here, you must see that yourself."

His fists tightened harder, and she heard the shackles rattle.

"But I want you to know that I never wanted this, Varian. I never meant to hurt you. I wish you would believe me when I say how sorry I am."

When there was still no respond, she sighed and made an attempt to turn and walk out.

"You waited till NOW to tell me that? Sorry?!"

His sudden respond almost startled her, and she turned back to see him facing her, his wild blue eyes half visible under his hair, but full of rage. "First of all; you waited too long! AGAIN! And second..." He rose up, making Ruddiger take a step back. "You think just saying sorry is gonna fix everything? Cause it won't! Words can never fix what you've ruined or broken! NEVER! It's just words, you hear me?! WORDS!"

Rapunzel barely managed to step back in time when he suddenly threw himself towards her as he screamed the last word. The chains stopped him of course, but it was almost like his rage escaped him and threatened to get on her. The Captain and his daughter were on place right after, he grabbing the prisoners arms, dragging him towards the wall so hard that he lost his breath, and she grabbing Rapunzel by her hand to pull her out.

"No!" Rapunzel cried out as she saw how hard the Captain held him, and how he lost his breath by hitting the wall. "That wasn't nessesary! Varian!"

"Come on, Rapunzel." Cassandra said with the coldest voice Rapunzel had ever heard. "He just ain't worth it!" Her friend's words actually shocked Rapunzel, but she didn't know what to reply as her lady-in-waiting led her away from Varian's cell.

Rapunzel felt numb when they finally reached the top of the stairs. The sudden light made her cover her eyes, and it took a moment before she got used to it. By the door, the King greeted the two ladies.

"Ah, here you are. How did... Rapunzel?" Fredric asked as he saw the face of his daughter. "What is the matter?"

"Rapunzel?" Cassandra said, noticing the tear stained face of her Princess.

First now Rapunzel became aware that she was crying. A little confused, she sniffled, and looked up at her father's concerned blue eyes. "Oh dad..." She let a sob escape as she threw herself into her father's safe arms.


	3. Chapter 2 Varian out of the Cell

**Chapter 2: Varian out of the Cell**

Not many people knew there was a path behind the Castle, and it was seldom anyone went there. But today, Queen Arianna herself walked there. The path was a little rough, and she cursed herself for wearing wrong shoes for the occasion. A guard walking his round greeted her with a bow and "Your Majesty!" before he noticed the little basket of apples she was carrying.

"For the... animal?" he asked curious.

"The raccoon, yes." Arianna nodded. "His name is Ruddiger."

"Ah." the guard replied. "I saw him in one of the trees not far away. He never goes far from the cell, we have seen that. Shall I escort Your Majesty to the spot?"

"That's very kind of you, but I won't keep you away from your round." she said smiling. "This won't take long."

The guard bowed again and kept on walking his round, and Arianna kept on walking to her destination. The guard was right. Not far away were some trees, spread around. She spotted him as he climbed down the tree upside down, just like a cat, and ran towards her, greeting her with a croon. He must have seen her coming from above.

"Hello, Ruddiger." she bent down and scratched behind his right ear. "You look well today."

The raccoon replied with yet a croon, obviously enjoying the treatment.

"How about your master? How is he today?"

The mood of the raccoon quickly changed. He lowered his ears and looked at her with sad eyes. His mouth almost looked like a sad pout.

Arianna's smile faded and she sighed. "No improvement, huh?"

Ruddiger gave a small sound and climbed his little front paws on her knee, as if he was pleading for help. She replied by stroking his chin gently."Don't worry, we're not giving up on him like that. In fact, we're going to give it another try today. Our servants are preparing a little surprise for him right now. We're hoping it will have some effect, and then maybe... Maybe." She rose and walked towards the castle wall, where small barred windows were lined up with twelve feet's distance between eachother by the ground. By one of them, there were leftovers from eaten fruit. Arianna stopped a moment, looking at the window. It would give the morning and midday light directly into the cell, and give a good opportunity to have look inside.

But Arianna didn't look.

A part of her failed to understand why it gave her such shivers, while another part knew it but she chose to ignore it. She got a knot in her belly everytime she thought of the day on the lab. Once she realized that this was more than a youngsters' pranks, she had become rather frightened. And after witnessing what he could do, and how far he would really go... It was a long time since she had felt so small.

And yet, he was so young. Yes, a young boy had managed to kidnap her and almost... Just the thought made her shiver. A young boy managed to attack the castle and the kingdom itself. And yet... That's just what he was; a young boy.

When they arrested him, it went up for her how fragile he really was. Her husband had promised their daughter to help him, and she knew very well that help was the thing he really needed in his age. Guidance. Despite being intelligent far beyond his age, it seemed like he was just as misguided as Red and Angry, the two children Eugene and Lance had caught stealing. And that had dreadful consequences. The King once said that they couldn't send children in jail, but Varian... He was a bit older than Red and Angry, and should by now have know the difference between right and wrong. Hadn't his father taught him anything? Was he really so badly stuck in his own world?

Rapunzel had described the previous Varian as the sweetest most helpful boy one could imagine. Arianna had never seen that boy, only witnessed his attitude towards the royal family, his actions and temper... But she knew she could not doubt the words of her daughter. Then her thoughts went to his father Quirin, stuck in the amber... What that must have done to Varian. His father out of reach like that, not knowing if he was dead or not. Had the months on his own simply made him loose his mind?

And yet... there had been a moment. One moment where maybe if she had tried... If only she had managed to find the right words... if only he had let her speak. Maybe, had she managed to reach to him. I too lost someone once in the past, and it felt like my whole world died. He was feeling the same way back in the lab. Why should she blame him?

She sighed and kneeled down beside the window, still not looking inside. "I don't know how we will manage to reach him, Ruddiger..." she said as he followed her hand as she started to put out one apple after the other. "We can only hope it's worth trying."

She gave Ruddiger a final cuddle and a smile before she rose. "Bon appetite." she said before she headed off. She had business to attend to, and had to hurry.

Ruddiger stood a while looking after her before he gave his attention to the apples, and picked up the first he could find.

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In the cell beneath where he was provided a temporarily home, Varian sat in quiet thoughts.

At Rapunzel's request, the King had placed his Varian in a cell with a barred window, giving the animal could come and go as he pleased by letting a long chain hang from the window so he could climb it. The King hadn't forgotten Ruddiger's actions in the lab and wanted, like Rapunzel, to make sure he was doing well. Fresh fruit out for him, and often the Majesties themselves, like today, would do it. He would of course never be gone for long, as his master would never follow and the animal refused to leave him behind.

Besides from the daily routines with food and water being brought to him, the light would be his indicator of the time of day. In the early morning, the warm orange light from the sun would wake him up, casting it's rays at the wall, and during the day he could follow the shadow incoming as time passed.

Varian himself would seldom get the privilege of coming and going as he pleased. Even thought the new cell was physically less uncomfortable than the first one, and it had a bench to use for as a bed, even a warm blanket and a light pillow, making the circumstances more or less standing, there were still cautions to be taken. This liberty that Ruddiger had been granted forced them to put the strictest of security routines around Varian himself. He would always be under watch, with two guards keeping an eye on him now and the through the bars in the heavy door, and always with his legs in long chains tied to the same heavy iron ball, and one arm tied to a long chain that was stuck on the wall near the bench, allowing him to lay on it when sleeping. This gave his skinny body limited movement, but he didn't do much while he was down there. Normally he would sit still, either speaking to himself or shouting out threaten someone out in the air, cursing Rapunzel or anyone in the royal family. Only once in a while he would be walking around to get some circulation in his body, or out of curiosity have a short look of whom it was watching over him that day.

It was when he moved, causing the chains to cling, and the raccoon believed that his master would follow him and choose to come back. And then he always brought an apple with him. On the hard stone floor, there would always be leftovers from apples that Ruddiger would occasionally bring down to his master. Sometimes he would eat them, sometimes not, but he ate more of the apples than the food that was brought to him. Those he left laying there, Ruddiger ate for himself, but he always made sure to let his master have first.

This time, Ruddiger came down with yet another apple between his teeth, when he heard sounds, and approached his master with a croon, letting the apple carefully down near his leg, not understanding why his master was still sitting. But he soon realized that the noise came from the corridor, footsteps approaching, causing Varian to lift his lowered head a little to get a look at who was coming.

"You hear that, Ruddiger?" he raised his chained hand to give Ruddiger a short scratch behind his right ear. "It's the Captain; Cassie's precious daddy." he said in a mocking tone. "I wonder what he wants this time."

He was right indeed. The Captain of the guards soon showed his figure in front of the door of the cell, opening it himself before entering, followed by Pete and Stan, dismissing the two other guards standing there.

"Why, look Ruddiger." Varian chuckled, looking up with half closed eyes and a rather empty expression. "We're granted the honor of Mister Groutch, and Puke and Tiny." he said as he looked at Pete and Stan, that was their names for real, who exchanged looks. "What do you think he wants this time? He's brought his guards with him, so I doubt he'll murder me this time!"

The Captain frowned. "You should be glad I don't leave you here to rotten."

"Oh listen to him!" Varian said to Ruddiger again, while he sarcastically flung his chained arm out. "Pretends that he care. Just like that traitorous Cassandra." he made a face when he said her name. "Blah!"

"I don't believe a single word of what you say about my daughter. For me, you might as well let yourself be crushed to sausage for all I care." the Captain said as he found the right key on his belt. "But for your information; The King and Queen is actually... inviting you to lunch."

"Well, that sounds fine." was his sarcastic reply when he was dragged up in standing position by Stan. "Aren't you gonna salt and pepper me first?" He didn't put up any resistance as the chains were removed from his feet and right hand. "Or are you gonna make sausage out of me like you said?"

"If I were in your shoes, kid, I would be grateful the King would bother to worry about my future at all." the Captain replied, watching him with frowned eyebrows as simple handcuffs were put on Varian's skinny wrists. "You will be surprised to learn how generous King Fredric really can be."

"Really... We'll see about that." Varian mumbled as he grabbed the apple from the bench right before he was led out of the cell, with Pete and Stan beside him. The two guards were giving eachother looks as they followed the Captain through the dungeon corridors, and Ruddiger right at their heels.


	4. Chapter 3 Varian at Lunch

**Forgive me that this chapter might be a bit long, but I needed this one to be in one piece. I enjoyed writing this, I hope everyone else will enjoy it as well. **

**Chapter 3: Varian at Lunch**

The King and Queen had their lunch in the delicate pavilion, where they often had their meals if the weather allowed it. The table were set for three, the King and the Queen, and a spot for a third person at the other side of the table, which were set with lots of delicate small dishes of several sourts; scrambled eggs and smoked salmon, rolls of ham with mayonnaise on a plate of salad, slices of ox tail on a plate with honey dipped carrots and a large plate with some cheese. A plate of sliced loaf was there as well, with a bowl of butter. A cheese cake were placed at one side, decorated with fresh berries, and beside that was a bowl of fresh fruit. A mug of sausage placed in the middle of the dishes, along with a salt and pepper pot and a bowl of sugar cubes, all made of delicate ornamented silver. On a table beside them were a pot of tea and a mug of lemonade, and Friedborg were standing near them, ready to poor into the Majesties' cups and glasses at command. More simple dishes were put up as well; ham sandwiches with cheese and turkey sandwiches with salad and cucumber. The King puzzled a little at these dishes, but the Queen smiled at them.

"I thought to give him some simpler choices. He's grown up with peasant food and is probably not used to such complicated dishes."

"My dear, what do you mean with complicated? I thought it would be tempting with something extravagant rather than something plain."

"So much fuzz over a traitor..."Nigel said at the King's side.

"That was thoughtful of you, dear, but do you recall how I responded to it the first time you introduced me to such fine dishes?" she asked with a smile. When the King didn't respond with more than a raised eyebrow, she answered herself.

"I had no idea of how to eat it, and ended up feeling foolish. At that time I didn't know up and down on a fork, far from how to use one in such settings." She demonstrated by picking up a smoked salmon with the fork laying beside the plate, putting it on the plate in front of her. "And if this plan of yours is to work, then we must make it as easy for him as possible, not making him feel more uncomfortable than he might most likely be." she kept on, giving him a raised eyebrow in return.

"Well I've got to try at least. I hear he's bare eating down there. I am certain that a proper meal will make him feel better." The King sighed. "And maybe we can get a step ahead of what to do with him."

"Sire, if I may..."Nigel said beside him. "This is only a waste of time. It's been over a month since this... vagabond committed his crimes. And the law... "

"Nigel!" the King interrupted with calm voice. "If you do not like this idea, I will not force you to stay."

Nigel were whipped of the branch by the King's words, but quickly gathered himself. "I will most certainly NOT leave the Majesties alone with this..."

"Good, but please do not interfere. We want this to go delicate." Fredric replied determinant, not even bothering to look at him.

"Besides, we will not be alone." Arianna said, obviously beginning to find Nigel's comments annoying. "The Captain and his guards will be here as well."

"Speaking of which..."Fredric said as they heard the marching footsteps of the guards approach the garden, closing in towards the pavilion. The Captain were walking ahead on the side of the path, revealing Pete and Stan walking with Varian, or practically dragging him along, as he was barely walking on his own, but were lifted up by his upper arms. The King and Queen exchanged looks as they saw this.

As they approached the pavilion, they had to lift him up the steps, and the guards stopped in front of the table, with the boy almost dangling between them. As it had been a while since they both saw him, they were stunned by the appearance of the young alchemist. His hair was filthy and more messy than ever, locks sticking out from both back and front of the goggles, long bangs half covering his face. His shirt was half torn up as a result of many wasted battles with the guards, and his apron were barely hanging by the straps, not to mention the fact that the boy had long time grown out of his pants, as his knees were showing from above the strapped boots, who were by the way rather loosely tied as well, as if they had been just dragged up before he left the cell.

His face were also a dreadful sight. Lack of sunlight had made him terribly pale, his freckles almost gone as well, and lack of sleep had given him dark gray circles around his hollow blue eyes. He had become terribly skinny, even more than before, with thin arms and visible cheekbones. But the most awkward sight was the small apple he had stuck in his mouth, which would give the most ridiculous look hadn't it been for the frowning eyebrows. Despite the strict grip he was held in, his face were rather calm and nonchalant, but his eyes were shooting daggers in the silence and running over with suspiciousness.

They were all stunned by the sight of the young prisoner, and Nigel were barely able to hold back a comment and opened his mouth to say something when the King raised his hand, a gesture the chancellor knew as a sign to remain silent, before King Fredric himself rose from his seat and cleared his throat, breaking the embarrassing silence.

"I'm glad you could join us, son. Eh... We hear you've had some... trouble eating lately, we thought you would feel better if you had some proper food." He chuckled shortly and kept going. "So there's no need for that apple. You may have whatever you'll like."

"Owgh..." was the sound that came from Varian's stuffed mouth, turning his head to the side and spit it out, before looking at them again, glaring sarcastically. "I thought I was gonna be an appetizer!" The apple rolled at the grass beside the pavilion, and Ruddiger immediately became aware of it and ran after it.

The King blinked at the boy's reply, but quickly regained himself. "Now what made you think that, my boy?"

"Oh that was logical, your Majesty." he young teen answered sarcastically. "I'm hardly enough for a main course, and most likely not delicate enough for dessert." He glared sat them by the last sentence.

The King gave a short, insecure laugh before walking around the table to face him, looking friendly at him as he spoke again. "Now lad, even if we've had our... disputes, we're not going to go that far with you. I can assure you that much. You may not believe it, but we want what is best for you."

"The best would be a bath!" Nigel mumbled into his handkerchief that he used to cover his large nose for the reeking smell from the prisoner.

Arianna quietly hushed him, and then became aware of a rather familiar crooning sound from her right. There, a familiar little animal approached. Ruddiger had obviously become aware the smell of food and were now eyeing the fruit basket placed the table near the Queen as far better than the half eaten apple. Arianna, and smiled at the sight of him. "There you are, Ruddiger." she replied gently and lifted the bowl down to his level. "Help yourself." indicating that he was welcome to eat. The shy but greedy raccoon approached and slowly stretched his paws against the bowl, but as soon as he had grabbed the reddest apple he was quick to run off. Arianna chuckled and let the bowl remain on the floor so he could help himself and sat up again, observing the her husband and the teen. Nigel observed the scene from his spot with horror, and then rolled his eyes.

Varian's eyes followed the King, glaring suspiciously at him as he had been speaking.

"Now, at some point we are going to put this all behind, but we still have a long way to go. But even with other Kingdoms that we might be in disputes with, it is normal with a peace offering meal, and that's what this is."

As the King spoke, Varian shifted his head slowly from one side to another, his eyes at times locked on him glaring while others he squinted and hiding them under his overgrown black mess of hair. It wasn't possible to read him when he was like that, but it looked like he was observing he set table, eyeing the options. Arianna noticed he got a rather odd look on his face when he spotted some of the dishes, like she suspected he would.

"Now please, take a seat!" Fredric said. But when Varian did not reply, he coughed at the guards, who placed him on the chair put for him. The Captain found his keys again and removed he cuffs from his wrists, chaining him to the chair by his right foot instead. It looked like Varian got a little confused, as if he had just woken up and wondered if they really were serious about this.

"There. Now, help yourself, son. Have what you'll like." he King said, walking back to his own seat beside Arianna. As the Majesties started to fill their own plates and Friedborg pored them tea, Arianna gesticulated for her to pour Varian some lemonade when the King started to speak.

"I thought you would be glad to know that I have taken action to actually help you with the matter with... your father. I have sent for some very schooled scientists from abroad to help us solve the mystery of the amber keeping him incased. I am confident that they will somehow manage to find a solution." The King waited for a reply, but Varian got more uptaken with Friedborg, who was about to fill his glass with lemonade while staring rather empty out in the air. So he kept speaking. "My plan was that maybe you would appreciate working und-eh... with them to try to free him. Now, what do you think, Varian?"

"I think this one here is ALLOT prettier than Cassandra! Or what?" he smirked devilishly and turned with half closed eyes towards the Captain, who got bright red in his face, barely able to hold back his anger at the sassy boy. Friedborg on the other hand got rather flattered by the unintentional compliment and smiled widely, showing all her teeth. When Varian noticed this, he surprised everyone by actually smiling back, if not so friendly at least widely. "At least she knows how to smile; unlike somebody else..."

As the Captain's frown became more and more tense, Pete and Stan got worried that he wouldn't be able to hold himself, as it was his own daughter the prisoner was insulting. Fredric and Arianna saw this as well, and the Queen broke the awkward and soon to get out of hand situation by speaking. "Friedborg dear... I think we will be fine now. Thank you very much. You may have the rest of the day off."

Friedborg smiled even wider as she put the mug beside Varian before she turned around and walked away, putting her hands behind her back as she slowly walked away.

"Yes thank you, Friedborg! You're such a peach!" Varian said sarcastically, and the odd looking lady in waiting gave him a wide creepy smile before she disappeared. "I hope the Queen finds a Prince for you! You deserve that much!" Varian cried after her before he turned back to his company, who stared awkwardly both at him and eachother. Arianna looked after her dear lady in waiting, wondering how she would handle her later; Fredric feeling like he was slapped in the face by the sudden turn the conversation had taken; Nigel was luckily to much in shock of the teens words to utter a word himself; the Captain stood stiff like a statue, but his white gloved hand resting on his sword; and Pete and Stan silently preparing themselves for anything.

At last, Fredric couched and begun speaking again. "As I was saying..."

"Is that ham?"

The unexpected question from the alchemist caused the King to loose his word, but Arianna quickly interfered, feeling reveled that he boy at last gave focus towards the food. "Yes yes, it is. Salted ham."

The boy was staring at the rolled ham slices, staying silent, as if he tried to figure out if his eyes were lying to him or not.

"Have whatever you like!" Arianna said carefully, lowering her gaze as she kept her eyes on him, hoping he would react.

The King and the Queen stared at him as the alchemist took his time to exanimate the ham rolls, before at long last, after what actually wasn't more than a minute but felt like a hour, Varian stretched out a gloved hand and grabbed a ham roll and held it in front of him, examinating it all over, like the scientist he was. They all found this behavior rather odd, but they did nothing to disturb him as they hoped he would consume it sooner or later. Even Pete and Stan watch with curiosity, like they expected him to perform some magic trick with it. The King almost bit his bottom lip from the waiting as he watched the boy put the roll on the plate in front of him and begun to, almost in an elegant manner, unroll it with one finger, exposing the yellow substance inside.

"It's just mayonnaise. It's rather good. I'm sure you'll like it." the King hurried to sey, rather gently, hoping not to spoil the progress. "There... There's some ham sandwiches if you prefer that."

"More ham?" Varian asked instantly and turned around to find the ham and turkey sandwiches on his left side, with two slices of bread cut in a triangle on top of eachother, with ham and cheese in between.

"Ham!" Arianna whispered behind a hand to her husband. "We're on the right way!"

"Progress at last!" he whispered back.

He were quick to open them and grabbed the ham, leaving the rest of the sandwich open on the plate. Then he did the same thing with all the other sandwiches till he had all the ham on his own plate, leaving trails of cheese and bred crumbles at the table around himself.

Fredric was about to say something when he felt his wife's hand on his arm, silently telling him to wait. But when he reached for the butter knife and dragged on a huge clout of butter and started to spread it all over the first ham, the Queen too got a little curious and couldn't help herself.

"Wouldn't it be a little better with some bread, Varian?"

"Ham!" Varian replied rather dryly as he put two of the triangle shaped ham slices on top of the first one.

"Eh... Sure sure..." she replied gently.

Then he reached for both the salt and the pepper and started to sprinkle both over them before he put two more on top of that, and quickly unrolled another ham roll while he reached out for the sugar cubes, grabbing a handful right from the bowl and started to smash them rather violently at the table cloth, grouching at each hit.

Now even the Captain, who had decided the best was to currently ignore his prisoner's presence to gather himself, looked at him performing the act with the food, and gave the King a look. all he got a back was a shrug from His Majesty. Nigel rolled his eyes and let a short moan escape in disgust, still with the handkerchief covering his nose, along with his mouth now due to the disgusting scene. The King and Queen looked at eachother!

"Varian, what in the world..." he queen begun, but lost her tongue, not knowing how to grip the situation as the boy seemed completely focused on his task.

Then Pete wasn't able to hold back his curiosity. "That's not gonna taste very good, it it?"

"Oh, I'm not gonna eat it!" Varian said rather seriously as he grabbed the crushed sugar with two fingers and sprinkled it over the ham before he suddenly decided his project needed another ingredience, and rose to grab some of the laced carrots to have over the sugar letting them drip over it. "That should do it!"

At last, the King couldn't hold himself and spoke up, not so patient as before. "Varian, would you please explain what you're planning with that?"

"Ham, your Majesty..." Varian said, without looking up from his project, "...means pig, right?"

"Of course it is pig. Everyone knows..."

"WAS a pig!" Varian said, raising his voice at the first word. "But no more. Because..." he looked up, staring directly at the King. "It's DEAD! You've killed it!" He practically shouted the last word out, startling them all after his long time clam behavior.

Fredric sighed and spoke again. "Varian, I bet even you know that to be able to eat meat, you're gonna have to..."

"You've killed it, you murderer! Pig murderer!... but I'm gonna fix it!" Varian kept going, grabbing the flake of salad that the ham rolls had been resting on, and jerked it out, causing the rest of the rolls to spread all around the table. "Oh yeah, I'm gonna fix you, little piggy! After all; I am an alchemist, and I can perform anything! And I'll put it back together..." He mumbled between his teeth as he took the salad and the other mayonnaise laced ham slice and wrapped them both around the sandwich of ham he had made in front of him, and started petting it like it actually was a pig there.

Arianna let out something that was meant to be a sigh but ended up as a moan as she leaned back in her chair while resting her forehead on her hand and covered her eyes at the same time. Fredric finally decided it was enough and rose from his chair as he spoke up. "Varian, end this nonsense right away! I was planning to go easy on you, but you are making this far more difficult than it has to be. In case you haven't noticed..."

Varian remained silent and ignorant of his person and kept on with his rather odd project. The King drew his breath once more and was about to speak when he realized that the teen wasn't going to listen and just sighed and watch him grab his next ingredience from the table. "That's turkey." it slipped out of him rather dryly.

"No it ain't!"

"Oh really?" Fredric replied, turning sarcastic himself out from stress.

"Nope!" Varian replied loud. "The only turkey around here..." he said and looked up at sudden. "IS YOU!" To everyone's shock, Varian threw the turkey slice towards the King. He didn't managed to hit him directly, as the King managed to block it with his hands rising up in reflex, but the slice got pushed to his left and went off to Nigel, who cried out in horror, loud and squeaky like a girl.

"That's enough! Take him away!" Fredric said, losing his patience at last.

The Captain bent down and unlocked the shackle on the chair and had a hard time unlocking the one on his foot, as he moved too much, and had to grab him in order to finish his job. Pete and Stan on the other hand tried to grab him by his arms, but he became rather hotheaded when they tried to grab him by his arms, which would cause him to lose the grip on the ham project. "My pig! MY PIG!" Varian cried as the Captain was about to put the chains on him again.

"Let him keep the pig-eh... the food." Fredric shook his head as he corrected himself, and rubbed the brim of his nose. "Maybe he'll eat it..."

At long last, they managed to get the handcuffs back on his wrists, and had to almost lift him off the chair. This time he actually walked on his feet when they took him away, and Pete and Stan held a grip on his arms, but with the ham project in his hands, he actually didn't put up much resistance. Most likely he was glad to get away from them, cause he remained silent when he was led away.

Arianna sighed and leaned back in the chair. "So much for a proper meal." she said to Ruddiger beside her on the floor, who were a little disturbed by his master's outburst, but as he saw him disappear in the castle, he decided to follow.


	5. Chapter 4 The Varian Dilemma

**Chapter 4: The Varian Dilemma**

As they were leading him through the corridors, Varian had all his attention turned to the imagined animal in his hands. He spoke to it and petted it, like it was a real pig. The Captain walked in front of them, pressing his lips to a thin line. Pete and Stan found his behavior just as disturbing, at the same time it was relieving that he was walking on his own for once.

"It's okay, little pig. We got away from His Mayonnaise!" Varian mumbled. "Just wait and you'll be as good as new."

The Captain rolled his eyes and let out a heavy sigh.

"Does he actually believe it is a pig?" Pete asked, looking at the messy scraps in Varian's hands.

"It IS a pig!" Varian spat, without looking at him, and Pete looked up at Stan, who only shrugged back."It's a pig. It's gonna be a beautiful pig when I'm done with it!" His voice went lower now, as he went back to nuzzling it, holding it close to his face like he whispered in its ear, although he made a fragile attempt to whisper. "We're gonna do wonderful, you and I. I'm gonna teach you how to read, I'll give you some nice clothes, and you'll be my assistant in my lab. Won't that be great?"

The Captain shook his head as he got more and more fed up with the boy's speech.

"And I'm gonna name you... Cassandra!"

Pete and Stan froze as the name was spoken, and looked at the Captain, and noticed that he had stopped, his whole body growing tense and he swirled around to face the boy. His jaw tightly bitten, he looked like he was close to explode as his face got more and more red. He reminded of a man who had been stung by a wasp and was struggling hard not to let out a cry of frustration and pain, and the two guards just waited for him to lash out his anger. Varian on the other hand, looked at the Captain with mischievous eyes and a sly smile, satisfied that he had managed to provoke him. The guards stood still, not daring to move.

But instead he closed his eyes tightly, took a deep breath and let out a growl before he spoke. "Will you be able to handle him by yourself? I must... have a word with the King." His voice were more or less controlled, but the two guards knew very well that he really weren't able to be near Varian anymore than necessary and needed an excuse to leave.

"Sure, Captain. We can handle him." Stan replied.

"You can trust us, Sir!" Pete said.

"Good!" They stood a moment watching him leave. Varian too looked up from underneath his mop of hair, still grinning satisfied.

"There there, Cassandra. Captain Blather has gone now, don't you worry about him anymore." he whispered to the imagined pig in his hands. Pete and Stan turned away from the Captain as he disappeared and pushed Varian a little to make him walk again.

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"Have we lost him in his madness?" King Fredric said, his voice weak and sad. He sat quiet a moment, feeling lost. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to meet his wife's green eyes looking at him. "What am I doing wrong, Arianna? Why can't I get through to him?"

"Your effort is admirable, Fredric, but... I really don't know. If it has gone that far with him, I'm not sure if there is anything more we can do. I don't want to give up either, although at the moment, what we have tried is getting nowhere."

"I know, but we can't just give him up. I feel like I owe it to Quirin to at least give it a try." Fredric looked up, his look lost towards the ceiling of the pavilion. "We waited too long. If I had done something sooner... We have allowed him to go mad while we..."

"Fredric, the damage that was done had to be taken care of. People needed to be calmed down and assured the situation was under control. Plans had to be made for handling things while the black rocks are still around. And the preparation for Rapunzel's depart... took it's time." Arianna paused a little at the thought of her daughter. Then she spoke again. "Things had to go in order, you know that."

"I know, Arianna. But..." Fredricc closed his eyes, leting out a heavy sigh. "I promised Rapunzel..."

"He is a rebellious teenager, Sire!" Nigel said, holding his nose high. "I'm not the least surprised he would do what it takes to attack the royal family again. Like he did that first time with the Princess..."

"According to my daughter, that wasn't at all what happened, Nigel!"

The royal advisor stood still out of being spoken against, by the King himself, who's mood changed as suddenly as a glass breaks when hitting the ground.

"Rapunzel gave me a full description of that day's event before she left. He came to her and begged her for help to save his father, who was at the time about to be completely consumed by the amber that emerged from the black rocks. And as we all know, that day she was unable to do anything to help, despite her promise to do so. And the lad got desperate because he was most likely running out of time to save his father's life, and he therefore grabbed a hold on her clothes without thinking about either courtesy or manners." The King was steady when speaking, but there was a sting in his voice that made the advisor lowers his nose a few inches, as well as his head. "But she ensured me he didn't do anything to harm her being that day. And I see now I was a fool not to have that story you served me confirmed with her before we had everyone in Corona believe in a false rumor as you encouraged me to send out forces to capture him at any cost!"

"But Sire..."

"ENOUGH!"

The sudden outburst from the King put everyone at silence. Some birds that had been chirping nearby flew away, making allot of sound by flapping their wings to get away from the disturbance. The embarrassing silence that came right after was to touch and feel, and Fredric sighed and leaned back in his seat. Arianna looked at her husband, heavy by heart; then at Nigel, jaw dropped in shock over the King's frustration; and then she spotted the Captain reappearing in the doorway, apparently he must have heard the King's cry, because she saw on distance how worried he looked as he stoped a second.

"Please leave us, Nigel. I need to think." Fredric said in a horse whisper.

There was seldom Nigel remained silent, but now he did. If he dared not to speak or if he kept silent as a protest, Arianna could not tell, but the royal advisor never the less made a deep bow before he turned around and walked away, he passed the Captain of the guards without looking at him, but the Captain looked shortly at him when they passed eachother.

She failed to hear Nigel carefully whisper to the Captain before disappearing.

"Choose your words wisely, Captain. His Majesty is in a foul mood."

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It was a little bit to walk back to the dungeons, and on their way, they kept listening to Varian mumbling nurturing words to 'Cassandra'. They were almost arriving the door down when Varian made sentences out of his mumbling again.

"You're so beautiful, do you know that, Cassandra? Pretty... Just like Stan's wife. You look just like her."

Stan froze and widened his eyes before frowning. "Now wait a minute!" he said, tightening the grip of his arm and stopped, making him look at him, and Pete stopped as well, wondering what happened. "How dare you insult my wife like that."

"It wasn't I who said it." Varian said, remaining calm. "It was Pete who said it."

"What?" Stan's eyes were shooting daggers at his friend. "Have you..."

Pete's eyes widened as he panicked at the sight of his friend's look. "No I swear, Stan. I would never..."

"Oh yes, Pete would!" Varian said and looked up at Pete who looked like a question. "Remember when I gave you those delicious cookies of mine? You liked those, didn't you?"

"You mean those who made me and everyone say things that were just the truuuth...?" Pete stumbled, as he begun to recall that day. "Cause those were really delicious."

"I'm so glad you liked them." Varian said smirking before he continued. "And the first thing you said after eating them, were that Stan's wife looked like a pig." Varian kept going as he looked at him with half closed eyes and a sneaky smirk as he wagged his head a back and forth."A big... Fat... Pig! Ready for dinner!"

"Now this is..." Stan glared at the skinny guard, who were almost trembling by the sight of his insulted friend.

"N-n-n-no! No no, I didn't! I don't think at all, Stan!" Pete shook his head in panic as Stan's face grew as red as the Captain had been a moment ago. "Stan, you know I..."

"Oh you did. Everything you said that day was nothing but the truth, remember?" Varian kept it going.

"Pete! How could you?" Stan said harshly.

"But Stan, you know perfectly well..."

As the two guards kept arguing loudly, they failed to notice how Varian smirked underneath his messy hair. When they didn't watch him, he started to rub his gloved hands with the mayonnaise and butter mess he had made before he stuffed all the greased ham slices in the pocket of his apron; briefly reveling the little decorated silver container he had hidden between them.

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Arianna looked at her husband again, his hand covering his eyes like it would help him face reality. She took his hand in hers, giving it a light squeeze. "Maybe we should wait till we get a word from the scientists in Old Corona. Maybe if they find an answer, then..." She paused herself as she felt Fredric squeeze her hand back. Then he looked up and spotted the Captain as he approached and bowed. The King looked up and met his eyes.

"What do you think, Captain? I am running out of ideas of how to handle this."

"Sire?" the Captain of the guards stepped forward. "Since the situation with young Varian is a little... out of the ordinary, may I be bold enough to offer an... alternate solution?"

The King looked at him, letting the question hang a little before he sighed. "I am more than open to another solution, old friend."

"I fear the boy is too lost in his own world to realize his actual situation. But I believe I know of a way we can, how should I put it... make him understand how his situation really is."

"And how do you suggest we do that?" It was the Queen asking. The Captain had caught her curiosity even more than the King.

"You know my daughter Cassandra. I-I confess that it hasn't always been simple raising her, as she has most often preferred to act more like a boy than a lady. "

"No offence, Captain, I know you have done your best. But without a women in her life a role model, I find it easy to understand that she has looked up to you." Arianna said in the most sincere way she could.

"Anyhow..." the Captain cleared his throat. "When she reached the point of womanhood, I found it necessary to... take action. I feared for her reputation and realized that when normal demands and threats didn't work, I had to... give her good scare."

"Oh?" Arianna said silently. "Captain, what in the heaven's name do you mean?"

"I simply had to tell her that if she did not change her ways for the better, I would be forced to send her off to a convent so she would learn to behave. I even took her there once to show her how the life of a nun were, so she would see what would await her if she didn't start changing into becoming a real lady." The Captain paused. "I have never seen her get scared of either riding a horse in full speed without saddle, or fighting my best guards without armor, and recently I've seen her take the worst challenge without a hint of hesitation. But when we walked out of the convent that day, I could see she was terrified to her bones. It's the first time I've felt her shiver."

Arianna looked at him, not saying a word, but thinking of the tough as nails lady in waiting they had given Rapunzel. The one who had taken her out for a day off duties that night when her hair grew back. She wasn't sure of what to believe.

"I actually have the feeling that such a fate would be worse than anything for a scientist." The King replied. "But I'm not certain that would have been a good idea... considering how the monks would manage to handle..."

"I was... actually thinking of something else, Sire. I thought it would be... necessary to let the boy open his eyes to his actual condition. Like you said, Sire, under normal circumstances, Varian would have been sentenced to death, like traitors of the Kingdom should."

"I am aware of that, Captain." the King replied.

"But it seems like Varian isn't. So what if we..."

The King's eyes widened and his mouth fell open as he heard the Captain's idea.


	6. Chapter 5 Discussing Varian

**Introducing some OC's here. **

**Chapter 5: Discussing Varian **

As Nigel walked through the corridors, the other direction of where the guards had taken the prisoner, he let out an insulted humph. He spotted a slice of triangle shaped ham, and went a wide circle around it, frowning in disgust.

"That little imbecile..." he muttered. "He should have remained in the dungeon. He's not that young, he doesn't deserve to be petted like a guest. His Majesty defends him like-like... Like that Fitsherbert! And those... group of muscle bullies with bid noses and helmets and sweat all over that... that..." The royal advisor let out a cry of frustration as he passed the main doors and entered the sunlight. Then, he drew his breath and let out a heavy sigh. "Is Corona to be surrendered in the hands of the criminals? What is it becoming?"

He looked up at the sky, pondering in deep thoughts when the sound of horses trotting caught his attention. When looking towards the gate, he spotted a carriage and two riders in formal attire behind it.

"My word, who can that be? We're not expecting anyone?" he mumbled and begun walking down the stairs. "Unless his Majesty has forgotten!"

The driver stopped the wagon and climbed down to open the door, and a tall elegantly dressed gentleman climbed out, with a long face with an even longer and rather huge nose, black and gray striped hair that was coamed back, small, narrow black eyes squinting in the sudden sunlight. A short, straight mustache over a huge bottom lip and a carefully shaped goatee straightened the impression of his long face. His clothes were of the fashion with large striped puffed shoulders reaching he elbow, and tight sleeves on the rest of the arm, and a dark plumb colored waistcoat and puffed pants. The buckles of his shoes were blinking in the sun, along with the golden medallion hanging loosely around his neck. He practically reeked of authority, and he looked like he was used to it.

Nigel immediately recognized him, and his face brightened up in a relieved smile. "Duke Walponce Douteux! What a delightful sight for the eyes. You are welcome like a light breeze in a warm summer day." Nigel said as he walked down the stairs to greet him. "But what a surprise! We did not expect you until next month?"

"Nigel, my dear friend." the Duke's strict face broke up in a modest smile as he lifted his head. "I know I wasn't expected so early, but I felt I couldn't wait any longer."

"Well, in my opinion, Your Grace arrives just in time." Nigel said as he reached the ground level. "I only wish our situation were of another kind." Nigel noticed the two riders, both red haired and with a wide difference in age, had stepped down from their horses. While the younger one went to assist the other travelers in the carriage, the eldest of them went to greet Nigel and the Duke with a warm smile. Nigel smiled just as welcoming as he approached.

"Dear Prince Lars! It has been too long. You're looking very well."

"Thank you, Nigel. May I say the same?" the Prince said and took Nigel's hand in his and gave it a good shake.

"Oh, your Grace is too kind." Nigel choked a laugh and smiled back. "How is your son doing? I believe he must have grown a bit by now."

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Prince Lars said and turned to the wagon. "Daniel? Come now, we're here."

The younger red haired rider were about to help a lovely looking lady out of the wagon, but she made a cry when she was pushed aside as a young boy skipped out beside her and would have made her fall out hadn't the young rider been so quick to catch her. The boy ran to his father, who immediately gave him an angry face.

"Daniel! What have I said about being careful, and nice to your cousin?"

"She was so slow." the boy complained.

Nigel hurried to cover for the embarrassing incidence and bent down to the young boy. "Young Prince Daniel! My, I must say you have grown. Tell me, how old are you now?"

"Not as old as you, fish face." the boy said, staring directly at him with mischievous, brown eyes. The boy had the same red hair as his father, and freckles all over his face. And when he spoke, he exposed a pair of rather huge front teeth with a gap between them. Nigel were for a moment whipped of the branch as the boy's appearance and attitude gave him similarities to someone else that he preferred not to think about now.

He both looks and sound like the traitor! He could have been his younger brother. Oh dear, that is the last thing we need now.

"Daniel?!" his father grabbed a hold on his shoulder, forcing him to look at him. "One more prank from you, and you will go to bed without supper. Do you understand?" He rose and gave Nigel an apologizing look, apparently he must have mistaken the disturbed look on Nigel's face. "I hope you will forgive him. He's... tired after such a long journey."

"Don't bother excusing him, uncle. He's been a nightmare all the way!"

They turned to face the rest of the company, first to the lady. Even though she was a lovely sight, her face expressed frustration.

"Princess Annabelle. A delightful view as always!" Nigel said and took the hand she reached out and kissed it politely. "I am so glad you came along to please us with your presence, a privilege we seldom get." He turned to face the other, young red haired man, He had bright green eyes and a rather friendly appearance. "And I have the pleasure of meeting..."

"Jonas is my name, and the pleasure is all mine." the young red haired man did like the elder, took Nigel's hand in a good grip and gave it a solid shake and smiled warmly.

"Nigel, this is my brother." Prince Lars said, and chuckled lightly. "One of them, that is."

"Prince Jonas, what a pleasure. That was... I took the liberty of learning the name of all of you. Now, let me see..." Nigel started counting on his fingers while he looked up in the sky. "Caleb, Franz, our very own Lars here..." he gave a nod towards the present, and kept counting. "Then it was Jurgen... Asger, Storm... No, was it the other way around? Oh dear, it's been forever. I once knew this by line..."

While Lars looked a little bothered by Nigel's mentioning of his brother's line, Jonas broke into a laugh. "Save yourself the trouble, my friend. You won't find me among the sprawling dandies of Southern Isles!"

This comment made Lars turn to his younger brother with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. "Sprawling dandies? What do you mean with that?"

"Oh, I wasn't thinking of you, dear brother." Jonas gave him an excusing look, along with a teasing smile. "After all, you are more from Corona now than from our homeland."

"Hah! Bless me." Prince Lars chuckled. "I'll tell you one thing, little brother..." he gave him a small shoot with his finger on his brother's nose as they passed eachother. "If some is a sprawling dandy here, it's you!"

Jonas chuckled as he gave his nose a slight rub before he tried to reach for his brother's ear. "Now, just because you're older..."

The Duke decided all of a sudden that there had been enough talk and cleared his throat, causing the two brothers to stop their playful argument and straighten up. "Well, shall we, Nigel? I am eager to see my cousin." Then he turned to his horseman. "Leave my luggage be. This will only take an hour or so." he turned back to Nigel. "And on our way, maybe you will give me a short update about our situation here in Corona?"

"Let us move to the garden then, where the King and Queen are at the moment." Nigel said and put himself near the Duke as they begun walking. "I must tell you..."

Behind them, Lars held his son's hand in his to prevent him from running off. And behind them again, Jonas and Annabelle came, she holding his arm as they walked, speaking in between themselves. "That little... I can't believe father let him get away with that!"

"Hush beloved. Remember why we're here." Jonas said as he stroke his free hand above hers, making her look up at him, and her frustrated face broke into a smile and a blush.

"Oh, I suppose you're right."

As they went through the castle door, they only had eyes for each other.

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"Give him an execution?" the King gasped and widened his eyes. "But I promised Rapunzel..."

"Sire!" the Captain said determinant. "I'm not saying we shall actually go through with it. I'm only saying at if he got to believe that he actually were to be executed, maybe he would realize once and for all that his very life actually is in your Majesty's hands."

"Oh, I don't know... It sounds a bit... for all we know, there's a chance he would actually loose his mind completely if we scare him too much." He turned towards his wife. " Arianna? What do you think?"

Arianna sat quiet for a long time. Her thoughts were tumbling in her mind. The Captain's word were indeed true. Varian didn't seem to understand what kind of situation he really was in, and he didn't seem to see how severe his crimes really were. He was too blind of anger and grief that everything else were unimportant. But in order for him to recover and make up for himself he would have to face the consequences of his actions. And how could he do that if he kept blaming them for his misery?

But the first image that occurred in her head was a rope, hanging there, ready for use. And Varian, being dragged towards it, absentminded and angry like usual. But then, he would eventually spot the rope, and shut up as he would notice that the distance between him and the rope would shorten. His blue eyes would widen, his mouth would open and all of a sudden she heard him cry out loud, scream in panic as he would realize the vital truth. She could almost hear his scream as he would eventually give in for the tears he had held back for too long.

"NOOOOO! No, no no no! Not yet! I'm not ready... I'm not ready, I was never ready! NOOOOOOO!"

She could see him try to fight in vain for his life as he would be led up to the rope, hanging loosely kicking wildly to get himself free, the courtyard filed with echoes of his loud sobbing and screaming.

She knew exactly what he would feel. Helpless. Desperate. Completely without control. Like that day in his lab, after he had poured the compound on the rocks beside her where she was chained. She recalled the feeling of helplessness that had overflowed her when she realized she was close to face the same fate as poor Quirin. How her life had passed before her eyes as she begged for a miracle.

Her miracle had come in form of Ruddiger, who had seen how far his master had gone and decided to help them despite his loyalty to Varian. And in a way he had been for Varian as well, as he refused to leave his side. Everytime she looked at Ruddiger, it was as if he was pleading her to forgive him for his acting, like he was trying to excuse his behavior and tell them he wasn't being himself. Any maybe he hadn't been? Today's showing had proven how distant he was from the world around him. Was it too late to save him? Maybe the only solution after all...

No! She couldn't... How could she even have such thoughts in her head? He was only a child, a child who were in desperate need of help, poorly ignored for too long. So why... How could she as a mother let this... What kind of a mother would...

"Arianna? What is the matter?"

Fredric's voice brought her back to reality, and she looked at him, all of a sudden finding herself shaking and breathing heavily and for some reason, covering her ears with her hands. Somehow, she had imagined his screams to be real and trying to shut them out. Taking a hold on herself, she drew her breath and stood up. "I... I believe this discussion should take place without me. I... I am not feeling well."

Fredric looked at her with worried eyes, but she choose to ignore it as she suddenly felt a strong need to get away from the situation. She walked past the Captain, but weren't able to face his concerned look. She walked with steady steps until she reached the door. Once inside, she begun running, as fast as she could, up their bedroom.

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In the other end of the castle, the two guards were still discussing loudly.

"Of all the things you have said to me ever... Has one ever been true?" Stan said furiously.

"I can't believe this, Stan!" Pete were just as frustrated, and lashed out his anger back at his friend. "I can't believe you're taking his word over mine! "

"But everything was true that day, it was proved. And saying things like that about my wife..."

"I wouldn't dream of saying anything about your wife. Martha's a wonderful woman!"

"Her name is Mary!"

They kept the arguing like this for a while, standing on the spot shouting at eachother's faces, while Varian pulled his goggles down his eyes before carefully wiping his greased gloved at his pants to clean them, pressing the chains towards his body to prevent them from rustling. Then he begun opening the little silver pot he had brought with him, grinning to himself.

But all of a sudden, Stan stopped. "Now wait a minute?!" He paused a moment and frowned right into Pete's face. "Exactly WHEN have you tasted my wife's cooking?"

"He hasn't!"

The two guards stopped arguing at when Varian suddenly spoke, and they both turned to look down at the prisoner; and immediately regretted they did as a cloud of brown powder were blown directly in their faces.

**A note: You might have noticed that this is a crossover with Frozen? For those who has read the book A Frozen Heart, you will find some of Hans' elder brothers are introduced and named. Like in the book, Caleb is the eldest, and there are Lars, the third son. Franz and Jürgen were names given a pair of them in the television series Once Upon A Time, although I have no idea of where the two are in the line of brothers. Although in the original book, Lars was about to become a father, as his child is yet to be born. I have just speeded up things a little and given him an offspring. Of canon, my story. Lars belongs to Disney while the rest of the OC's are made my me, although I have taken the liberty of giving him an look of my own. **


	7. Chapter 6 Serving Leftovers

**Chapter 6: Serving Leftovers**

"Your Majesty?"

The King and the Captain looked up and saw Nigel reappearing, with company. "I just wanted to inform that Your noble cousin, the Duke of South Corona, has arrived, along with Prince Lars of Southern Ilses, and Princess Annabelle and Prince Daniel." He bowed respectfully as the Duke stepped forward.

"Yes, thank you, Nigel. I know I have arrived." Prince Lars said low, looking slightly bored with the formal presentation as he kept his yes half closed up to the sky.

The King lightened up at the sight of them, and rose to greet them. "Cousin! That was a pleasant surprise. But you're here..."

"Early, I know." he said as he took the King's hand with a light nod. "I was actually not planning to stay right away. I was only escorting my family for the visit. We could not wait to bring you the wonderful news."

As a respond, Princess Annabelle approached and kneeled to the King with a smile and half closed eyes. "Uncle, it's so good to see you!"

"Dear niece, I am glad to see you're doing well. I am sorry you were sick during my daughter's coronation. Rapunzel was most disappointed not to meet you."

"And I've missed the chance again I see? Nigel told us she's away." she said lightly, although she didn't seem too sorry about it.

Slightly annoyed that Nigel had given away information, the King gave him a short look, but didn't make a scene, and said instead. "Nigel, inform the Queen of our guests and make sure bedrooms are prepared."

"Consider it done, Your Majesty!" Nigel bowed deep and was about to take a leave, but was stopped by the Duke speaking.

"I won't be staying long, Nigel, so you may wait with mine, till I am 'actually' supposed to arrive. As a compassion, I'll warn you a week ahead!" He said in a slightly humoristic tone that made Nigel choke a chuckle.

"Most kind, Sir. I bid you a good journey if I do not see you. And... My warmest congratulations." Nigel made a deep bow towards Annabelle, who only smiled proudly back. And by that, the slender canceller disappeared.

"Congratulations?" King Fredric puzzled, but he did not get time to ask as the Captain cleared his throat.

"I will return to my duties, Sire." he said and bowed.

"Very well, Captain." the King nodded and watched as the Captain follow Nigel out before turning his attention towards his guests.

Inside the castle again, Nigel let out a heavy sight of relief. "Thank heavens they did not arrive before we got the prisoner out!"

"Oh, don't mention it!" the Captain said and leaned his head on his hand a moment at the mentioning of Varian. He still had the insults of the teen fresh in mind. "The Duke is known for being rather conservative when it comes to... order."

"I am certain he wouldn't hesitate to have young Varian hanged without a trial."

"At least he wouldn't bother bringing him out of the dungeons. I wonder if that is why he is here! I believe he must have heard about him."

"Oh no, that's not at all why they came at all." Nigel suddenly lightened up and smiled when he spoke. "His grace told me on the way. They came to tell that..."

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"Your daughter is getting married?" the King said out loud and widened his eyes. "But that is splendid news, indeed!" He smiled and grabbed his niece's hands and gave her a warm smile. "Congratulations my dear. I couldn't be more happy for you. Who is the lucky one?"

"Your Majesty?" Prince Lars approached and bowed. "May I present my... illegitimate brother Jonas." He held out a hand as a sign for his young brother to present him, and he stepped forward with friendly eyes and a smile as he bowed respectfully.

"Well, that I must say." Fredric said and reached out for Jonas' hand. "Congratulations to you as well. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"The pleasure is all mine, Your Majesty!" Jonas said smiling as he took the King's hand and bowed slightly one more time while doing so.

"Uncle Jonas is funny!" Daniel said.

"Oh he is? Well, I look forward to hear all about him." Fredric said as he led them up to the pavilion. "Shall we take a..." He stopped himself as he recalled too late that the table was still a mess from Varian's food war. There were ham slices and carrots and butter spilt on the table where he had been sitting. Fredric hoped that he wasn't blushing and hurried to think of an explanation. He couldn't explain to them that they'd just had a traitor for lunch.

"Ew!" Princess Annabelle said and wrinkled her nose.

The Duke stopped and watched the table, his expression stiff except from a raised eyebrow. "We missed a party, I see!" His voice were sarcastic.

"Have you been playing with food?" Daniel said as he picked up the turkey slice that Varian had tossed at them. He looked like he amused himself with the thought, but his father hurried over to him and took his hand, forcing him to let go of it. "Hey!"

"Eh... We had a little accident with a... wild cat that had managed to slip through. Fredric coughed and swallowed hard. "Yes, a... black haired little cat."

"And the poor thing wasn't able to resist the temptation?" Jonas laughed and started to carefully clean up the spilt food on a plate. "I can't say I blame him."

"It's not here, I hope?" the Duke suddenly became a little on guard. "You do know I am terribly allergic!"

"It has been taken away, I can assure you." Fredric noticed the cheese cake were still untouched and cleared his throat. "But we still have some cake. May I offer some?"

"I want some!" Daniel cried out happily. His father though, straitened the grip on his hand and he twitched in response, but after a look from him, Daniel looked more modest up at the King. "I mean, yes please."

It wasn't wholeheartedly, but the King was relieved to move on and smiled widely to the rascal. "Of course you may have some cake, Daniel. You deserve that after such a long journey." While they spoke, some servants came with a couple of more chairs and plates and took away the plate Jonas had gathered the scraps. They did their best to clean the table before they went off. "Please take a seat! Come, sit by my side, son. You're certainly old enough for that now."

Poor Prince Lars didn't seem very comfortable with this setting, but while the King showed Daniel at his left side, he nevertheless put himself on his son's other side to keep an eye on him. Jonas pulled out a seat for Princess Annabelle beside her father, who had taken place where the Queen had been sitting to the King's right, but he didn't sit down himself at first. "Allow me, Your Majesty." he said as he took the triangle shaped knife to cut the cake.

Fredric was surprised, but nodded smiling. "By all means, if you insist!"

"Ladies first." he said as he cut up the first piece to Annabelle, who smiled warmly back at him. Then he gave one to Daniel, who's face broke up into a huge smile as it was put down in front of him. "Alright, dig in now!" he said in a teasing tone to the boy.

"Thanks, uncle Jonas!" the boy said as he immediately grabbed his fork and attacked the defenseless piece of cake.

Normally, Fredric would have found the boy's lack of manners disturbing, but compared to Varian's performance earlier, the young Prince was a relief to have by his side. He too noticed the slight likeness toward Varian, but she just shook it off. Instead he turned his attention to the so called brother of Prince Lars. "Jonas, was it? "What title do they address you with, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Mostly..."the young red haired said as he finally managed to sit down, giving a half smile as he looked away. "In the way? Or the spare... I have at least a dozen of those."

"Oh?" the King puzzled.

"To tell the truth..." he gave a rather modest look. "I happen not to be included equally in the circle of... eh..."

"Sprawling dandies, was it not?" Lars said smiling, making Jonas chuckle.

"You're not gonna let me forget that one so easily, are you?"

"A Westergaard never forgets an insult, to quote my father." Lars said formally, but then laughed with him, before drawing his breath to gather himself. "Jonas is not a member of the... royal family, with any title that comes with the legal born ones."

"So I get away with the most boring duties." he chuckled.

"I would actually say that you're lucky then." Fredric said with a laugh before turning back to Lars again. "Which brings me to, how all your other brothers are doing? I fear I never manage to keep count of how many you are. I remember only allot of red haired men in you and my cousin's wedding, and I fear I lost count of them all." he said with a short laugh. "My fault of course."

"I don't blame Your Majesty for that. Few people manage. Even father's servants mistake us from time to time. That's why we have embroidered our names on our garments." He pulled out his handkerchief and held it up to he could see the name of Lars in one of the corner in blue thread before he put it away. "I still have in memory how they managed to mix up the twin's undergarments, that one time they had managed to sew it wrong." He chuckled.

"Do you remember that stable guy who never managed to get Rudi and Runo from eachother, and took Franz, who is many years elder than both, for being Rudi?" Jonas hid his laughter behind a gloved hand. "Oh the look on Rudi's face when his older brother was mistaken for him..."

"That poor stable man never became himself again." Lars laughed a little himself before he became serious. "I... I actually went to visit my family regarding my father's birthday. It was about two months before your daughter's coronation. I am dreadfully sorry I never made it either, I was actually planning to reach it in time, but..." He stopped smiling. "During my stay, we... suffered a dreadful tragedy, and I found myself unable to leave at once."

"Oh dear?" Fredric asked. "What happened? Your father wasn't sick, was he?"

"My father has the health of a northern cold blood horse despite his age." It was one of my brothers... actually. He looked down. "My... my youngest brother got... caught in a fire in the stables." He sighed heavily. "It happened quickly, but it was a great sorrow. My mother was inconsolable."

"Oh, I am so dreadfully sorry!" Fredric said. "Believe me, I feel with you."

"Yes." he took a deep breath, obviously affected by this. "But that's when I became aware that Jonas here wasn't... treated the way he should." he said, giving his brother a warm, friendly look. "So I felt a need to make that up and... brought him along with me. And now..." he gave a chuckle. "Well, I hadn't expected him and Annabelle to... But I think this is just what he needed."

"I believe that's what we call destiny." Jonas said. "I never thought I would be this happy, but I am."

Annabelle had her eyes locked at him. "Just wait till we're married. Then we'll get you a proper title."

"The only title I'll ever need, is your husband!" he said, digging his eyes into hers.

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During their conversation, Daniel had finished off his cake, and he was to call out for a new piece, he knew that uncle Jonas would rush to give him one if he asked, when something caught his attention in the half open door to the Castle where they had come from a moment ago. As the conversation around the table turned towards a matter that was of awfully little interest to him, and as a boy who's curiosity were always on alert, he looked around to see if anyone noticed him there.

His father was actually paying attention to the King and uncle Jonas. The King too were paying attention to him. Uncle Jonas and cousin Annabelle seemed only interested in eachother, and just watching them made him loose his desire for another cake. And Uncle Walponce were for the moment consuming cake while the others talked. It looked like he was not at all the center of attention right now.

As they seemed to have forgotten about him, even his father, he carefully snuck under the table and appeared from under the table cloth, keeping his head low as he heard them keep talking. As he peeked up and noticed his father looking at Uncle Walponce as he suddenly begun speaking, Daniel saw his chance and ran on the grass to lower the sound of his leaping feet as he stormed towards the door.


	8. Chapter 7 Varian in the Corridors

**Chapter 7: Varian in the Corridors**

"Come on, Ruddiger. This is our only chance!"

Varian ran as fast as he could through the corridors.

He looked back, seeing Pete and Stan follow him, as fast as they could as they wouldn't stop sneezing and had trouble seeing properly doe to the pepper in their eyes. . To get rid of them, he threw some of the greasy ham slices he still had in the pocket of his apron, on the floor. And just like he hoped, they failed to see where they stepped and slid on them, falling on their backs with their legs spread high, while still sneezing.

Varian chuckled as he kept on running.

It had been easy to snatch the pepper pot after having everyone turning their attention towards the flying turkey he threw at the King, for then to hide it among the ham slices. The ham slices itself were only a way for him to gather enough greasy stuff to make his leather gloves smooth enough for him to slip through the handcuffs to free himself while Pete and Stan was arguing. They were so easy to fool once you did it right. And blowing the pepper in their faces and then hitting them as hard as he could by swinging the handcuffs around to give himself s grater leap gave him the opportunity he had been waiting for after all this time.

Now all he had to do was getting out of the Castle without them following.

He knew his way around several places in the castle thanks to Cassandra, and therefore it was easy for him to find the right way to go. He knew there was a back door near the laundry hall where he had been throwing the sheets and who knows what else. If only he were quick, they would loose track on him. He didn't have much time, as he knew they would sound the alarm as soon as possible now. They had gone far enough with security around him for him to realize this much. They would most likely get assistance right away.

But he would manage to outsmart them. He had done it before, and he could do it again. He had even outsmarted the King himself. He couldn't help but smirk by the thought. Oh yes, he would manage. Even if it meant he would have to go slow.

As he passed another corner, he saw an open window and thought first to climb out, but seeing the maids do laundry right outside he threw that thought away. Too much noise, he thought. Instead he took two more ham slices and threw them towards the window, hoping the maids were too busy with their work to pay attention to him where he kept running.

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What Varian failed to notice in all the excitement, was that Ruddiger had gotten some of the pepper spilt over him, and was unable to follow his master in the beginning when he ran in opposite direction as they had been going, as he too was busy sneezing. He tried as best as he could to follow up, but he found it hopeless. Very soon, he failed to see where he had gone, and had to try sniffing him up, something he found a little difficult after so much sneezing. So he found himself looking around, hoping he would spot something that could lead him to his master.

After a little looking he heard some light footsteps behind him and he turned around to hopefully find his master. But as he looked up, he found not his master. At some point it could have been his master, but it wasn't. Too short. Not right hair. Not at all right wearing, but the rest not so far away. But this other one was approaching him, and as Ruddiger didn't know him, he turned on his heel and was about to run off when he felt a pair of light, but surprisingly strong hands grab around his tail.

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"Well, I better go and inform Her Majesty about the arrivals." Nigel said.

"I believe that would be wise." the Captain said. "I seem to recall that the Queen and the Duke are rather..."

"The Duke dislikes that Her Majesty is originally from the people." Nigel explained. "The relationship was even further stained after they refused to consider his nephew Prince Daniel as an alternate solution as a successor while the Princess was still missing. Which is why the Duke would have been expected a moth in the future. During the current situation with the Princess, It is wise to consider the alternative."

"Hm..." the Captain. "If you ask me..." he looked around to see if anyone was near. "The Duke has always been quite a snob. Imagine, six years older than our own King Fredric. It could have been a possibility that he would have been our king instead."

"How peculiar." Nigel said.

They didn't get anywhere else with the conversation as a sudden sound caught their attention.

It was the sound of someone sneezing.

"He... he can't have go-go-gah-" another sneeze was heard. and the Captain immediately recognized Pete's voice.

When they got around the corner, they spotted Pete and Stand, searching through the doors in the corridors while sneezing.

"Are we playing hide and seek, soliders?" the Captain said loudly to them. "Or is it hide and sneeze?"

Both guards froze as they heard the Captain and hurried in up straight position and called out "Captain!" Both were red eyed and hard of breathing, and they both sneezed in unison the next second.

"Can anyone of you give me a proper explanation to what is going on here? The Captain demanded with loud voice.

"It is..." Stan held a finger under his nose, both to wipe it, and to prevent another sneeze from coming. "The prisoner, Captain..." he coughed. "He is..."

"He is..." the Captain waited furiously.

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"I know you did not expect me this early, Fredric, but my daughter insisted on coming here earlier to let you know." the Duke said as he put his spoon down on the plate.

"I can understand why you couldn't wait." Fredric said.

"And in that occasion, I felt it necessary to ask you a favor. " the Duke continued as he ate the last piece of his cake. "And it involves the Queen!"

"Arianna?" Fredric blinked confused.

"Of course, Fredric. I see no reason why she couldn't be the one preparing Annabelle for the marriage? After all, your own daughter is... away, so I believe there is nothing else occupying her for the moment?"

"Erhm..." Fredric hesitated and cleared his throat, hoping to put the right words to the situation. "I... I understand your need, and I do not want to stand in the way for such... needs. But I am afraid that now... I don't know how much you've heard about our... situation here..."

"Dear cousin..." the Duke interrupted. "I am perfectly aware of the dreadful circumstances that you've gone through. And of course, Nigel informed me of how the Queen almost got brutally murdered!"

Fredric had to choke a moan thinking of Nigel and his big mouth. All of a sudden he felt a need to find the very apple Varian had brought with him in his mouth and stuff it into Nigel's own mouth. Or maybe his cousin as well.

"But I believe that our... dear Queen would need a kind of distraction to get her mind off that horrible happening."

"Oh, poor, poor auntie." Annabelle said, suddenly getting a sad face. Fredric looked shortly at her, wondering where this sudden concern for Arianna came from, as she until now had been more concerned with how Jonas treated her, or her surroundings.

"So... the Duke continued. "I have a feeling that this is just what she would need through the traumas."

Fredric felt he had to take control over the situation and rose from his chair, looking down at his cousin as he spoke. "Listen, Walponce. I must make myself clear this instant. You know that we will be more than willing to help our closest family whenever there's a need. But I know that, especially after such a time, Arianna won't like at all to be taken for granted like this! I will have to talk with her, and prepare her about it before we just throw her into such a task!"

Duke Walponce's face tightened up all over and looked like he was about to stand up himself and answer when someone came ahead.

"But uncle, if I may..." Annabelle rose from her seat. "I can assure you that I will give poor auntie all the time she needs to recover from this. I am not going to be pushy about this, I promise." As she spoke, she made her way towards him, and took his right hand in her and touched his shoulder with the other. "You must forgive my father. He is just so terribly exited that I am to enter the alter soon. You know how he always wants things to be nothing less than perfect? And especially when it comes to me?" She spoke with a sweet, enchanting voice that differed from the lightly nonchalant way of speaking from their entrance. "I'm quite certain, when Rapunzel finally marries, you'll be exactly the same. I can see it before me. A have a feeling you'll be ten times worse."

At first, Fredric was speechless, but as he looked at her and softened. "I... I suppose you are right, Annabelle." he said smiling. "I will be ten times worse."

The mentioning of Rapunzel's wedding brought back allot of memories. Like when Eugene proposed that very evening, over half a year by now, and Rapunzel; how she at first looked like she was about to burst of happiness before suddenly storming out of the room of fright. Despite this King Fredric had seen how deep the love between his daughter and the previous criminal were, and had stayed strong all the way. He had no doubts at all that when Rapunzel finally were ready, it would be the two of them.

And he would not mind at all. Despite Eugen's lack of manners and absolutely taken-for-granted-attitude, he had become rather found of the young man. He had brought a bit of sprite along with him that cheered them up in tough times. Despite the Captain's long grudge towards him because of his criminal past, even he had managed to build some respect for him. At the moment, his grudge was pointing towards Varian, with reasons far more personal than he had had with Eugene.

Thinking of Eugene, and then Varian forced him on to a thought that had been lingering far behind in his mind. Eugene had explained very specific during his stay how he had become who he was in the past. He had become a criminal because he felt a need to fill the lack of love and affection in his life, because he felt that nobody cared for him.

And his friend Lance, whom had become a rather common presence in the Castle, probably must have felt the same way, as the two of them had been spending their stealing time together. But he had been reformed and had changed his ways, and had become rather helpful to Kingdom, and was, Fredric thought to himself, a rather nice guy. He hadn't forgotten how Lance had invited him to join them the night during the comet shower, treating him like a equal. Because of this he managed to overlook the constant borrowing of his own clothes and things that Eugene's old friend would occasionally try on himself, although always put it back again at one time; he bet Eugene made sure of this.

And now Varian... feeling ignored, alone and betrayed, had turned to bad for the same reasons, and being a witness to what would become his father's fate... Could he even blame him?

There were still allot of good in Eugene. Fredric even looked upon him as a son, or at least a son-in-law. And Lance too, for that matter, a friend. And not to forget the rough men that had helped them in the blizzard, the thugs whom had been among Rapunzel's very first friends outside the tower. He hadn't regretted on giving them a chance despite his doubts when his daughter introduced them. Therefore, he failed to give up hope that there were still good in Varian, after everything Rapunzel had told about him. He realized that it was because of this very reason he failed to even think of the trial towards the young alchemist, that so many were hoping to come soon.

His deep thoughts were interrupted by a high, squeaky voice.

"Dad, look what I found!"

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By the time the Duke and his company had reached the subject of her, Arianna had reached her and Fredric's bedroom and was leaning back at the couch as she wasn't ready for bed yet.

There were so many things going through her mind right now, and she struggled to get her thoughts under control. The nightmares hadn't stopped. Every night she was terrified that he would come back again and tie her up again. How could a young boy, a child, have this affect on her? She who had longed for the opportunity to be a mother, so roughly taken away from her so many years ago, and now again. Now she was having such fears because of a boy younger than her own daughter?

It was almost the same dream every night. Somehow, she was being stuck, one way or the other. She was walking in the castle. She was alone in the dark, the castle walls around her, when they suddenly would start moving; moving towards her. Attempting to squeeze her.

She would wake up!

Then the window, any window, would shatter around her. She held her arms up, preventing them from hitting her. Then she would look around, and suddenly she would find herself beside of a grand rock, so tall she failed to see the top of it so high above. She was chained to it by her ankle. Suddenly she heard a rumble from above, and she saw falling rock, rocks about to fall right over her. She would duck, a poor attempt to shield herself from the incoming... and she would hear his voice, squeaky and loud, evil as he was laughing.

"You will never escape ME! NEVER."

And in every single of her dreams, there was always a voice who would speak in the background. She never really saw who it was, but she had a feeling she knew it, knew it very well. It spoke coldly and harsh to her, saying the same sentence call over again.

_"You're a horrible mother! Horrible!" _

Then she cried out loud.

And then she woke up from that loud cry.

Another dream. Had she dozed off? She hadn't noticed. She hadn't meant to fall asleep. She rubbed her palms gently. All of a sudden she hadn't realized how tired she really was. It was about a month and a week since the whole kidnapping scenario, and with so many nightmares it was hopeless to get enough sleep. Just the thought that Varian were in the castle, even far beneath them, in the dungeon made it hard to even relax. She had managed to get a hold on herself the whole morning when she gave apples to Ruddiger, and by noon during the lunch, but the effort had taken all her straight away and now she felt like a when she was just a little girl and had been on a long walk all day, and was exhausted and just felt a huge urge to...

She startled herself when what was meant as an inhale ended up as a sniffle. She touched her face. It was wet with tears. When had she started crying?

It was ridiculous to think that way, that a child could be as dangerous as he had proven to be, but that's what she felt right now. Even more ridiculous was it that Varian was safely locked up in his cell far beneath where she was every night. The worst was that when Rapunzel had begged them to loosen up his captivity a little bit by having him moved to a more open cell where Ruddiger could come and go and Varian could get fresh air and sunlight; she had been terrified by the thought of him getting loose from a chain in the first place.

And yet, seeing him in such a condition? What kind of mother would...

_"You're a horrible mother!" _the voice rang in her ears.

"No!" she pushed the thought away, hiding her face in her hands and was unable to choke a sob. She didn't know how long she had been sitting there when she heard a knock on the door.

"Your Majesty?"

The nasal voice of Nigel felt like a loud drum to her ears, even though they had the door between them. "Just a moment!" She called out, surprised of how calm she sounded. She gathered herself enough to find her handkerchief, wiped her face and blew her nose quickly before she took a deep breath. "Alright!" she mumbled as she breathed out.

"Your Majesty, please! It is important!" Nigel's voice was desperate and pleading. Without answering, she walked towards the door and opened it.

"Your Majesty, thank goodness, I... Oh? is everything alright?"

"I... dozed off. I haven't slept well." she said, rubbing her eyes, frustrated that they exposed her. "What is it?"

"I have to inform you that the Duke of South Corona has arrived early because his daughter is getting married while Varian unfortunately managed to freed himself, and..."

Dozed as she still was, she was unable to follow and shook her head. "Nigel, what... Varian is... marrying whom?"

"No Your Majesty. The Duke' s daughter Annabelle is the one to be married, and..."

"Nigel, can you for once perform yourself short and concrete? I am not capable of handling any jibber jabber right now!" She hadn't meant to sound so harsh, but her nerves were on the edge of breaking.

Nigel stood up straight and breathed in before speaking. "The Duke of South Corona has arrived with his family, and Varian has escaped!"

It took Arianna a few seconds to take in what he said. Then she wasn't able to follow anything as she suddenly felt how her surroundings suddenly blurred around her.


	9. Chapter 8 Varian in the Kitchen

**Yet a bit long chapter, but I can't help myself. **

**Chapter 8: Varian in the Kitchen**

It wasn't Daniel's exiting squeaky voice that woke him from his sea of thouhts.

It was Annabelle's loud scream, piercing into his right ear.

"Daniel, where did you find that thing?" Prince Lars said franticly and rose from his chair.

He heard Jonas chuckle. "So the wild cat has returned?"

"Jonas, you can see for yourself that is a raccoon?!"

A raccoon? Fredric shut his eyes and ignored the pain in his ear, and got all pale when he spotted Daniel, with a confused and frightened Ruddiger in his arms. The boy held him rather tight as the critter was objecting as wild as a tame critter could, but spotting Fredric he looked rather appealing at him, like he was asking for an explanation for why he had been picked up by a stranger and peading him to be rescued from the tight grip.

The Duke himself gave a cry similar to his daughter, if not so piercing. "Get that thing away, you know I... I..." he was unable to say anything more as he broke into a fit with several short sneezes, not allowing him to finish off.

"Can I keep him, dad?" Daniel asked, looking rather satisfied with his catch.

"Absolutely not!" Lars was losing control over the situation and begun speaking rather franticly as he hesitated to either handle his son or his allergic brother in law. "You know your uncle can't be near furry beasts."

"But he's no beast, and he's mine!" Daniel cried out in anger. "I found him!"

Fredric knew he had to act quickly, and with any further hesitation he started walking around the table and spoke determinant, but gently. "Oh, I don't think it would be a good idea to keep him." He stepped over to him, looking down at him with as calm eyes as he could. "Besides, you do know that your uncle begins to sneeze so bad when there is furry creatures near him. Just look!" he pointed his hand towards his cousin, bent over the table in another sneezing fit. The normally strict and proper behaving Duke appeared to have disappeared, and back was a rather pitiful sight of a red nose.

"But he's not gonna be here for weeks!" the young Prince objected.

"But... I don't think the little being agrees with you there, my boy." Fredric kept going calmly. "So let me take care of that raccoon now... Oh there!" Fredric got a bit startled when Ruddiger after much struggle managed at last to get free from the boy's grip and made a jump up in Fredric's arms, crooning delighted as he made a crawl around his shoulders, feeling safe at last.

"Your Majesty!" Jonas was up in a second and ran towards them."Let me take care of the beast. I can't let..."

He was about to stretch out his arms to take him when Ruddiger made a snarl towards him, showing teeth as he approached. Apparently he'd had enough strangers picking him up in one day, although this behavior puzzled Fredric. "No no no, lad. I can handle a little critter. I am not that worried about getting my hands eh... filthy. Besides..." he pointed toward the pavilion. "Shouldn't you be taking care of your fiancé? Poor think looks like she's about to faint."

"You're right! What was I thinking?" He immediately turned on his heel and ran back to support Annabelle from falling. She leaned on his shoulder as he patted gently on her hand to get her attention. She looked up at him a moment before looking at Fredric, and gave another cry as her eyes widened.

"Watch out, uncle! It's got you, it's gonna bite you!"

"Relax now, silly girl." Fredric felt he was about to loose his patience. "It's the other way around. I've got him! Now if you'll excuse me, I have a critter to deal with." And by that he turned to walk away, carefully lifting Ruddiger down so he held him in his arms instead. He heard Daniel's objections and Prince Lars' voice scowl at him and his cousin still sneezing and moaning like it was for his life.

Inside the castle, he felt a great relief when he closed the door behind him. "Thank goodness, I was waiting for an excuse to get away from that... Oh how I wish Eugene were here now. He would have been able to talk him off." He looked at Ruddiger. "As for you, my friend..." he gave him a curious look. "First of all, it wasn't necessary to snarl at Jonas like that. He meant no harm. And second; Why aren't you with your master?"

Ruddiger suddenly jumped down and was running in circles before he began running back to the direction he came from earlier.

"What is it, boy?" Fredric asked as he followed the raccoon towards another corridor. "Ruddiger, I don't understand what you want. I..." He stopped as he suddenly discovered an open window at the end of the second corridor. All of a sudden he got a bad feeling and he ran towards the window, feeling how all color faded from his face as he discovered a pair of triangle shaped greasy ham slices, one hanging over the window sill, one half folded on the floor. He looked out of the window, then down at Ruddiger, who gave him a pair of worried eyes and a concerned croon.

"Oh no... He couldn't have..."

"Your Majesty?"

The King turned around to face the Captain, who stopped at the sight of the raccoon.

The King picked up the slice laying on the window sill and held it up in front of him. "This better not mean what I think it means!"

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Arianna woke up as she felt a light breeze or something like it at her face. When she opened her eyes, she squinted at Nigel bending over her, waving his handkerchief over her face. He looked worried, but as she looked at him, he gave a heavy sigh of relief. "Ah, thank goodness, Your Majesty! I was so worried."

She didn't know how long she had been out, but she gathered herself at her best and sat up straight.

"Let me help, my Queen." Nigel said and Arianna let him assist her in getting up on her feet again and supported to him while walking towards the bed. As she sat down, she took a deep breath and spoke with calm voice.

"Alright, Nigel..." she begun, breathing slowly. "Take it from the start. Make it short and simple."

After drawing his breath deeply himself, he begun to explain how he had met the Duke at the gate, where he had received the news of Annabelle's upcoming marriage with this Jonas, and the reason for their sudden early arrival, and then how he and the Captain had found Pete and Stan sneezing and searching in the corridors after an escaped Varian.

As she heard the reason for the Duke's early arrival, she felt how her jaw could have dropped to the floor, and for a moment, all fear about Varian was like gone with the wind. "Prepare her for marriage?"

"He said there was no one else better fitted than eh..." Nigel hesitated. "Your Majesty."

"Oh, so he said that?" Arianna's face went from shocked to frowning in a rage that kept growing and growing. Then she fumbled with her hand behind her and grabbed the closest pillow from the bed, before she pressed it to her face and let out a loud scream into it. Nigel watched with slight disbelief, although, he couldn't blame her either, and let her pour out her frustration to the pillow before he raised her head to draw her breath.

"How dare he?" She thre the pillow back on the bed madras with great force. "HOW DARE HE!? That snobbish, arrogant fool." She rose from her bed and begun walking back and forth while breathing through bitten teeth. "So he thinks I have NOTHING to occupy my time with now that my daughter's not here? That I'm just sprawling around here at the castle? Am I the Queen of Corona or what? Not to him! To him I'm only a... a... ARGH!" She stopped in the middle of the room, stomping her foot on the floor as she let out the frustrated cry. "Well, that swollen baboon can think what he wants. I will NOT be taken for granted like that." She crossed her arms stood a moment.

"But Your Majesty..." Nigel said as he approached her, humbly but certain. "What about poor Princess Annabelle? She has been looking so much forward to this. She did mention to me that the her grace had been like a mother for her long time ago. Before... " he stopped himself, realizing that he might had gone too far now.

"I... I recall..." Arianna interrupted him and walked away. All of a sudden she had gotten a lost look on her face. "She had just lost her mother, shortly after she married the Duke. He wasn't her real father, so he wasn't used to handle children. She was only three years old.. two years before Rapunzel was born, and... Since Fredric and I were longing for a child ourselves, it was natural to... treat her like that." She didn't realize that she had been walking towards the picture of them and little baby Rapunzel before she stood right in front of it. She looked up at it again, feeling at sudden how much she missed her. Her cheerful mood, her enthusiasm, her smile and huge innocent eyes. Arianna held back the new tears that threatened to come and drew her breath. "But... they haven't been around for, I don't recall how long. None of them appeared at Rapunzel's coronation. That she still feels like that... I would have thought the Duke would have arranged some wet nurses or perhaps a lady-in-waiting or a governess for that kind of... I don't know if I am fit for such matters right now, after..." she stopped herself with a gasp, and turned around, looking wide eyed at Nigel. "The Duke hasn't heard about Varian, has he? Sure he must have heard, but that he has escaped..."

"Absolutely not, my lady. The Captain and I agreed that it was better to handle this as discreetly as possible. And the Duke himself won't be staying. I bet he'll be on his way within supper."

"Ah, thank goodness." Arianna sighed heavily. "We would never hear the end of it then."

"But both Annabelle and young Prince Daniel is here..."

"An unstable alchemist on the loose at almost the same age as a young Prince..." Arianna said sarcastic and let herself fall down on the couch she had been sitting on earlier. "Yes, this will be marvelous indeed."

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In another part of the castle, the maids had just gathered the laundry for drying up and were hanging it up when the eldest maid in charge came towards two of them, a middle aged red haired woman and a young girl.

"Listen girls, we're having royal relations visiting so bedrooms must be prepared. There are three princes, one of them a young one, and a lady, Princess Annabelle, daugter of Duke Walponce of South Corona. The dinner must be extended. The amount of vegetables must be tripled, and some potatoes must be fried. I doubt the little boy likes vegetables."

The woman sighed. "Typical. The day the chef comes down with a cold, the most demanding members of the royal court comes to the castle."

"A young Prince?" the girl's eyes widened. "How old is he?"

The elder woman chuckled. "Way to young for you dearie."

"And waaay beyond your level, Karen." the woman one said sarcastically. "So stop dreaming."

The girl gave her a pout.

"Now, we must share the tasks, or else we'll never finish. Millicent, you come with me. We'll prepare the bedrooms. You will also be responsible for Princess Annabelle."

Millicent moaned and rolled her eyes. "Not that snobbish goose."

"Karen..." she turned to the girl. "You go to the kitchen and double up the ammount of vegetables and start peeling the potatoes. I will come and help you when we're finished."

"I can take care of the Princess if aunt Milly doesn't want to, grandma." Karen said eagerly.

"That's not good idea, Karen. You won't be able to stand her, and she'll never take a child seriously."

"I'm not a child anymore!" the girl said angry.

"Then stop acting like one, and get to work!" Millicent spat back. And by that the two grown ups left to prepare the bedrooms.

Karen was left behind, looking lost a first, but tightened her fists and frowned. "Fine." she mumbled and begun walking after them.

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Varian was so excited about his escape that he had yet to figure out that Ruddiger had fallen behind. He was hiding behind a door in a room and made sure to keep himself low behind it as the guards opened it to search through the room to think the thought that he was right beside them. As the door closed, he peeked out.

But as he was to run he heard heavy footsteps approaching near, and he hurried to search for a way. He spotted the open door to his right, and hurried towards it.

As he closed it behind him, he looked around. Pretty right, it was the kitchen for sure, as there had been some cooking going on. The scents of food still hanging in the air, he bet it was from the lunch they had presented to him. All of a sudden he regretted that he hadn't snatched one of those sandwiches with him, as the smell of food suddenly made his belly rumble. It wouldn't be too difficult to just grab something simple, even a carrot would do, he thought as he spotted a bunch of them beside a number of other vegetables. A huge turkey was boiling on an enormous pan, apparently they would let it cook for a while and handle the veggies later.

Heck, the royalties had more than enough, they could easily manage without a few.

Right beside the carrots he spotted a bundle of fur. It was red striped cat with short hair, matching the carrots nicely and he wouldn't have noticed it if it hadn't raised its head to see who it was approaching, squinting his green eyes at him.

"Nice little kitty, you're not gonna tell on me, are you?" he mumbled low, like he was talking gently to Ruddiger.

The cat just stared at him, and obviously thought of him as a weird thing who just disturbed his sleep.

He had just managed to snatch a couple of the carrots into his shirt and was to grab a third one to eat when he heard sounds from the door in the other end. The cat looked towards the door and got up, and Varian suddenly panicked. Searching for a hiding place, he found a temporarily one under a shelf near the middle benches. Skinny as he was, he fitted rather nicely under there.

The door opened, and a young girl, maybe a little younger than his age, came rushing in, in a foul mood as she slammed the door behind her. "You cut the vegetables, Karen. Sure, I'm old enough for that, then I'm suddenly not a child anymore. But I bet they won't be right when aunt Milly examinants them. I've never heard the royalties complain!"

She walked past the shelf where Varian was hiding, and he crunched himself tighter to not be discovered as he saw the skirts of her peach and yellow dress rustle around her feet as she passed him. He heard the cat meow and watched at it jumped down on the floor to greet the girl.

"It's just so unfair, Caterpillar." she said as she bent down to lift up the cat, Varian holding his breath, watching locks of brown hair fall down her arms as she did so, blocking the sight of him. "It's like nothing will ever be the same since that day when... everyone started yelling ugly things to eachother. I don't understand why everyone got so angry that day. It was just like, I don't know, a spell was cast at everyone." From the skirts, he noted that she carried the cat away with her while speaking to it. As she walked away, he saw the chance to sneak out, hoping to reach the door where she had entered while she had her back turned. He watched her as she was busy talking to the cat, petting it at its head, something it clearly enjoyed. He almost bumped into a stool and made some clumsy steps to avoid it and keep quiet at the same time.

But as he had gotten up and managed to step back to the edge of the bench at last, she was to turn around again, and he had to duck behind the bench again to avoid getting discovered.

"I just can't believe that everything people said to eachother that day, were true." the girl kept on, walking to his direction, forcing him to go left around the bench, still keeping his head low. It was impossible not to listen to what she said as he had no chance of interrupting her, and realized soon what she was talking about.

The cookies. The truth serum. He had no counting of how many people he'd had fooled to eat those, embarrassingly many actually, to figure out if the flower really were in the castle. If the girl had been one of them, he failed to recall. Neither had he realized how harshly the truth would come like that, and it was first now he began thinking about it. He hadn't thought at all of the consequences of doing that. It hadn't been his plant to make them scowl eachother, but then again, few people liked to hear the truth raw and uncovered.

He shook his head. Why did he bother thinking like this at all? It didn't matter. Nothing mattered. He did what he had to do.

As she spoke, another realization came to him as he saw how she petted and talked to her cat the way he would do with his own furry companion. Where was Ruddiger? If she discovered him... But where was he? If he wasn't near him, he would probably go to the food. But the cat would probably had found out about him by now, or the girl. So the only logical explanation had to be that he had been falling behind. Rats! He had to go back and find him. In the middle of this realization, his belly started rumbling again, and out of reflex he hushed at it to keep quiet.

But the girl was too busy talking to notice anything it appeared. "I don't want to believe what they said about mom and dad. Why would they keep something like that away from me? I always thought they were okay with me. But... now I know they're not." He heard her sniffle, and realizing she was crying he felt a little braver and sneaked a little further away, till he were at the other side of the bench. There, close to the door he came through first, he would have best chance of finding his furry companion and then escape.

But when he was to look up he found the cat staring at him. She must have let go of it on the bench, and it was now turning his attention to him.

_No no, nice cat, don't give me away now. _

Luckily, he spotted the backside of the girl's head, shaking slightly as she had probably sat down on the stool he almost stumbled in. He saw the cat lick it's upper lip, and he realized that it was the last ham slices he had in his pocket. He acted quickly and picked one of them up, and Caterpillar followed it with its green eyes, which became larger and larger. With the blink of an eye, he threw it to his left, towards the vegetables, and the cat followed it with a leap.

He begun stepping back, fearing she would turn around to sound the alarm if she spotted him. He turned around to leap towards it and swing it open to get the heck out of there when something came in a rush and struck him right in the face.


	10. Chapter 9 A scare

**I hope people will forgive me for posting as if I'm throwing this story out, but I've worked a long time on this and wanted to have it out before the 3rd. season comes. So here comes another. **

**Have I mentioned, I have taken the liberty of making a poster to this story. You can see it here on my tumblr page; ** post/187666089533/finally-its-done-i-never-thought-i-was-gonna

**Chapter 9: A Scare**

The door to the kitchen were swung open with a rush, and Pete and Stan entered. "Everyone freeze!"

Karen made a loud cry when she heard him, jumping up from the stool and swirling around, knocking the stool so it fell on the floor. Caterpillar too got startled and made a hiss and an angry meow and shot it's back at them.

"Yeah, what he sa-aaa..." Pete wasn't able to finish the sentence when he sneezed again.

Stan looked around and looked at Karen. "A-are you alone here, miss?"

"Eh...yeah. So?" she sniffed, struggling to keep her voice calm.

"Stan, I dink we britened er." Pete commented with stuffy nose.

"I think you're right." Stan said, and calmed down. "We're sorry, Karen. We were just wondering if someone had been eh... passing here?"

"How am I supposed to know? I just got here." she said, getting angry now for being babied. "Now will you please get out? I have a royal dinner to prepare, and you're not helping by disturbing me!"

"Ehm... Sure. We're off, right, Pete?"

"Right, Stan!" When they saw her turn away, not intending to offer them any more attention, they made the decision to just leave.

As they closed the door behind her, she wiped her face and rubbed the last tears out of her eyes. "Oh, what is the matter with me?" she sighed and hid her face in her hands. Then she drew her breath and sighed heavily. "Better get started then."

She walked over to the vegetables, and made yet another startled cry as she slid on something that made her fall backwards on the floor. Coming to herself, she found a slice of greasy ham on the floor, and frowned. "And aunt Millicent says I'm making a mess! She was the one preparing the sandwiches." She tossed it into the barrel where they threw scraps and went to find a smaller cauldron and filled it with water from the bucket nearby, and put it to boil up next to the turkey, then a frying pan to put the cut vegetables into.

"Just a light fry before they're cooked, right?" she said to Caterpillar. But the cat was more interested in the slice she had tossed away, standing up in two legs and supporting itself to the barrel, sniffing into it.

"What? Don't tell me you wanted that? Ew!" she giggled, feeling how she got back in mood. "Don't be silly. Let me cut off some turkey for you instead. I know they've cut something off for the lunch earlier here somewhere..." She found the knife, put it on the bench and grabbed the frying pan to put it away to give room for her to get to the turkey, when all of a sudden she felt a tap on her right shoulder.

"Eh...scuse me?"

The sudden touch and the unexpected voice behind her frightened her twice as much as earlier, and in a hurry she swung the frying pan towards whoever it was sneaking up on her from behind.

There was a loud CLUNG, a short cry, and then a thump was heard.

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Meanwhile, out in the corridor, Ruddiger watched the King and the Captain as they were talking about his master. The King was pinching the bridge of his nose while moaning of exhaustion and frustration.

"Of course that food playing of his was just a distraction. I can't believe none of us saw that coming."

"Nigel is informing the Queen while I've told my guards to handle this as discreetly as possible." the Captain hurried to inform.

"Good!" the King looked up, but he didn't seem at earse. His eyes were tired and he looked like he wanted to lay down. "The last thing we need is my cousin getting to know about this." He sighed. "Or my niece for that matter. Do you think he..."

"Ran out in the yard? I doubt it." the Captain said and picked up the ham slice in the window. "The maids would have spotted him. He's clearly trying to trail us off. But I'll let them know about it, in case. He's not to be underestimated. Out of his mind as he is..."

"On the contrary, Captain. He if not at all out of his mind!"

The Captain looked and arched an eyebrow as he stared back at the King, who looked away and walked towards one of the many paintings, one showing a picture of the three of them, Rapunzel, the Queen and himself.

"This 'escape plan' of his has proven not only that he hasn't lost his mind. In fact, he's more than aware of his own situation." He turned slightly back at him. "Say Captain; what causes a prisoner to try to escape?"

"Simply the fact that he knows what awaits him." the Captain replied.

"Or perhaps because he simply don't know what he has incoming... and it scares him." he answered as he turned back towards the painting.

Now the King had caught the Captain's curiosity, and he listened when he spoke again.

"That's why he's putting up such a harsh defense. He has lost his trust in grownups and fears what we're going to do with him. He's covering his fear with anger to hide the fact that he's absolutley terrified. Out of his mind or not, the boy is not dumb. He most likely understand what his actions would most likely mean lead to. Had he been a full grown... " he sighed and bend his head down while he covered his tired eyes. "...we wouldn't even have this conversation."

Ruddiger walked over and looked up at him. He looked deeply worried, and very sad. His eyes... He had seen those kind of eyes before. On his master. Sad eyes. Lost eyes. Very often teary eyes. Eyes he had when he said out loud 'What am I going to do?' or 'I can't give up' or 'Why won't anyonbody help me?' Ruddiger felt sorry for the King, who had been kind to him, and who were now feeling just as lost as his master had been for so long. So now he decided to do what he did when his master was like this. He walked around his legs and rubbed his side to him, crooning warmly as a sign he was offering his help.

The King on the other hand mistook his kindly offer of comfort as a need of comfort. Becoming aware of him, he smiled warmly down to him.

"Don't worry, my friend. I'm quite certain he'll return once he finds out you're missing. He won't leave you behind. No no, he won't." Fredric lifted him up and let him rest on his arm while he scratched him on his back. Ruddiger found that the King's huge arm was quite a good place to rest after some frustrating moments, and found himself rather comfortable despite the situation, and closed his eyes as he kept crooning to give the intended comfort.

Fredric sighed. "He is a smart boy, indeed. It's such a pity. With such intelligence, Varian could have been the most useful resource this Kingdom could imagine. Instead..." he scratched Ruddiger under his chin, something the chritter welcomed warmly. "... he's turned to become the most dangerous villian we've had since... I don't know if the legends of Zan Tiri is true, but... I don't want to compare my friend's son with him. He's too young for that." He rubbed his eyes gently. "Then again... he's too young for this..."

Ruddiger crooned again and looked up at him, and slightly begun stroking his bearded cheek with his paw. The King became aware of it, and smiled again, and all of a sudden, it was like he found new straight and looked up at the painting again.

"But despite what people might think..." he paused and got a determinant look ok his ice blue eyes. "I won't give up on him. I promised Rapunzel I'd help him, and I intend to keep that promise, no matter what! Bringing him to justice is one thing, but I have a strong feeling he hasn't been fully himself when he did what he did. The loss of his father has caused a wound in his heart that had been infected. What Varian needs first is to get a clear picture of his situation."

Ruddiger looked up at him as he spoke, not certain if he was talking to him or to himself.

"Somehow, we have to make him understand that we don't want to harm him, that he can trust that we want what is best for him, despite what he has done. Only then will he be able to stand up to face the consequences of his actions and redeem himself. And only then can he be given a chance."

As he looked down again, he was met with Ruddiger's sweet innocent eyes, and he recalled that he wasn't supposed to be there. "So, what to do with you, my firend? We can't have you walking around freely now, I'm afraid. Annabelle will only scream when she sees you, and I have no idea how to explain this for Lars."

The Captain hid his obvious annoyance for the King's constant speaking to the animal, and cleared his throat. The King seemed to remember his presence and turned to face him. "May I suggest, Sire? If he'll come back for the critter, that would be just the way to catch him. Using him as a bait somehow..."

"Hm..." the King said, giving Ruddiger another scratch. "I'm not certain... I don't like the thought..."

"If I may, Sire. The boy must be captured again. Before he harms others. Or even himself, if Your Majesty is afraid of that."

"I suppose you're right, Captain." the king sighed.

Ruddiger looked at them both in turn again, and wasn't certain if he liked where this was going.

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When Karen dared to open her eyes again, she squinted around in front of her, but found nothing. When she heard her feline friend meow, she looked down to find Caterpillar sniff curious at the strange being on the floor. She chocked a gasp and froze again and held the frying pan in front of her as a defense. Slowly getting her breath under control to calm her beating heart, she started to eye him all over.

He was lying half on his face, apparently getting a swirl when he was hit. The long locks of black hair were hiding his face, his clothes were messed up and ragged, but after having a look at him, she found one trail that could place him; the huge, funny goggles he had on top of his head, now shuffled to one side, making him look even more shaggy than he already was. She dared to make a move and turned the frying pan around and carefully used the shaft to brush away some of the locks off his face. Her eyes widened and her fear dissapeared when she took a closer look at his face.

His nose was getting half squeezed as it was bent to the left where he lied, along with his half open mouth, giving him a rather funny appearance. His freckles were faded and he had his eyes closed, but she still recognized him.

"But... I've seen him before!" she said out loud, and looked at her cat. "What's he doing here now? And..." she bent over him and put the frying pan under her arm before looking at his clothes, arching an eyebrow. "What's happened to him? I wonder if Cassandra's got anything to do with this..." she rose and looked at Caterpillar again. "I wouldn't be surprised. Although, it's a while since she left with the Princess. She couldn't..." Then she looked down at him again, leaning on her knees to get a closer look, suddenly concerned. "I hope I didn't hit him too hard."

Like to answer to her concern, the red striped cat started sniffing him all over. When he came to his hair though, he wrinkled his nose, stepped back and sneezed.

"That bad, huh?" Karen said, eyeing his garments, and covering her nose with two fingers. "He could surely use a bath."

Caterpillar sneezed a second time before he rubbed his nose with a paw.

"I just wish I knew where he came from..." She walked around him to have a better look. "Do you think it was him Pete and Stan were looking for?"

Caterpillar licked his nose a few times, and stepped closer to the boy again. He got curious, like cats do when they find something unidentified, and when there was a possibility the being could still be alive, they would try to figure out how to get a reaction from it. He was still breathing, so apparently to him he was just sleeping. So the cat stretched out a paw and touched his half squeezed nose carefully. When he didn't seem to respond at once, he begun tapping his right cheek, adding a little claw to it. This seemed to have some effect as his face suddenly twitched.

Karen didn't know why she got a better grip of the frying pan again, but there was still an inch of fright left in her and she didn't want to take any chances.

Caterpillar obviously begun to enjoy this game and held up his paw again to give yet another strike, and suddenly he gave his cheek a slap with it.

"Owtch. Ruddiger, stop it." he mumbled and suddenly begun to move, obviously a little painful as his face got all twisted while he tried to rise up, but failed. "Ouwww... My head..."

Karen held the frying pan stiffly in front of her, biting her bottom lip.

Caterpillar meowed as a respond to him, and this made him force himself to open his eyes, or at least lift his heavy eyelids, he stared right into the green eyes of the red cat. He blinked a few times and looked like he struggled to focus.

"You're not Ruddiger..." he managed to conclude at last.

"His name is Caterpillar."

The boy got a bit startled by the unexpected voice, but wasn't able to react much, and all he could was to roll on his side and support his head as best he could while he squinted up at Karen. His huge blue eyes widened when he spotted her, and for a moment, she thought she saw a blush on his pale half freckled cheeks. From where he was lying, he looked rather harmless, and this gave her some courage back and she pot the frying pan away.

"Hi. Eh..." Karen said. "Are you okay? I'm sorry I hit you so hard, but... You shouldn't have snuck up on me like you did. That's rude!" She straightened up, wrinkling her eyebrows and placing her hands on her hips, like grownups did to make a strict appearance.

"Eh... what?" He looked up, giving her a disoriented look, but nevertheless, the small blush became brighter, and soon his whole face was red. "Oh, eh... Did I? I... I guess I didn't really mean that. I'm sorry." he looked down, obviously embarrassed.

She shook her head. "Never mind, What are you doing here anyway?"

"Well, to be honest..." He squinted his eyes again and pushed himself up in sitting position, looking around. "That depends on wherever 'here' is..."

"You're at Corona Castle. And I don't know what you were doing here now, but you've been here before."

"Huh?" he widened his eyes. "I... I have?"

"Mhm!" she nodded. "About half a year ago, or a little less, but I remember you well."

"Uh, wait... Outch!" he made a face when he touched the side of his head and begun rubbing it gently while trying to focus. "You said I've been... where... before?"

"Oh come on, don't play a fool with me! I saw you helping Cassandra with her duties that day!"

"Whaah..." he looked up with half closed eyes. "Helping... who with... what? When?"

Karen rolled her eyes in frustration and moaned before raising her voice. "The day at the science expo?! Don't try to deny it! I saw you! You were with her all over the Castle, and then I saw you doing them alone, and..."

"What? Waitwaitwait..." he blinked confused at her and stopped rubbing his forehead and held his hand up to hold her from talking more. "First... one thing... Who's Cassandra?"

**Did anyone notice the remake scene from Tanlged the movie? I just had to use that, I couldn't help myself. I mean; Tangle universe. Rapuzel has alredy done some re-use of the movie in 'Rapunzel Day One', but why can't it be spread around a little? Just so people know, I'll be putting out little surprises like these in some of the chapters. Note; it doesn't have to be from the Disney universe. I might borrow something from something else. Be aware! **


	11. Chapter 10 Varian Is Confused

**Chapter 10: Varian is Confused**

Nigel closed the door to the royal bedroom behind them when he and the Queen went through the corridor.

"I believe that I sound like a coward saying this, but I actually hope the Duke has already left by now." Arianna said as she began walking, frowning to herself. "Even though I should give him a scowl for his silly ideas."

"It might be a chance that we meet him before..." Nigel stopped himself when he spotted the maids with a trolley of bedclothes further down the corridor. They were quite occupied and were chattering with each other and didn't seem to have heard about the threat.

"We should inform them." Arianna said, looking at Nigel, who nodded in return and followed her. "Violet? Millicent?" she called out to them.

Both the maids stopped working and looked up when they heard who spoke, and both kneeled as Arianna approached. "Your Majesty!" the eldest, Violet, explained. "We are preparing the rooms for Princess Annabelle and the Princes. And now that Your Majesty is here, I have to ask; should the young Prince have a room in his father's suite, or is he old enough to..."

Arianna rose her hand to politely interrupt her, and took the word before Nigel managed to interfere. "I hate to disturb you both in your work, but I feel I must inform you about a vital case."

Violet and Millicent exchanged looks before they paid her attention.

She gave a short, but specific description of the situation; that the dangerous criminal that had been attacking the Castle, kidnapping and almost killed Arianna, had escaped from captivity, were running around on the Castle and were hunted down at this moment.

"Now, the Duke, and Prince Lars and Annabelle, and whoever this other man is; none of them, shall know anything. Not a single word to anyone! We cannot afford the Duke to know about this. Is that clear?"

"Yes, your Majesty!" Millicent nodded and gave a short bow to confirm the order. "But I sure hope they catch him soon."

"Oh my goodness!" the plump old Violet bursted out, forgetting manners of all kind as she clapped her hands to her round cheeks as her eyes went wide. "Karen! She's alone in the kitchen! I've got to warn her!" She forgot about the bedrooms and turned on her heel, lifted her skirts and was about to rush down the corridor when Nigel stepped forward to calm her down and blocked her way.

"Violet, please. The guards are handling this. There is no need for us to..."

"Out of my way, you fancy scarecrow!" Violet only had to reach out her arm and push Nigel out of her way, throwing the skinny advisor into the trolley of bedclothes. She humped away as fast as her chubby body allowed her, and were gone by next corridor.

"I am sorry for my mother, Your Majesty!" Millicent said as he helped Nigel get free from all the sheets that had fallen over him.

"No, we might have reason to be worried. She would be the most likely victim to be used as a hostage to get out, being so young! It's one chance in a hundred that he'll run into her of all people, but still..." Arianna said and helped Nigel out of the last sheet and pulled him up. "I'm not sure if the guards will be concerned with telling the whole staff about this."

"Leave that job to me, my Queen!" Nigel said. "I believe it's better that Your Majesties handle the royal guests while the rest of us handle the prisoner. Princess Annabelle is expecting your Majesty anyway, and..."

"Yes, perhaps that is the best way. Now hurry up, Nigel. You will warn the staff, and I will go and meet the guests. But please, I beg you. Don't make anyone panic! This must be discreet!"

"As you wish, My Queen!" Nigel was not slow. After a quick bow he too leaped across the corridors as fast as his skinny legs could carry him. After Arianna too had gone, Millicent was left alone, shrugging and beginning to clean up the sheets from the floor.

"And I will make beds." she said sarcastically as she grabbed a bundle of bedclothes and entered the next room.

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"Oh daddy, are you certain you can't stay any longer? I'm sure auntie will be so sorry she missed you." Annabelle was pleading as she walked after her father, supported by Prince Lars as he was having trouble keeping himself upstanding as they walked through the corridors to the gate.

"I'm dorry by deav..." he sniffled and coughed over eachother, half way looking up at her. "I bear I boud dage by beap ib I day."

"What's he saying?" Daniel said from where he was walking behind with Jonas.

"He fears he will take his death if he stays." Jonas explained as low as he could, bending down to him as they walked.

"All because of a cat?" Daniel said frowning.

"It wasn't a cat. It was a raccoon." his young uncle explained.

"You thought so too!" Daniel scowled at him.

Jonas chuckled and laid a hand around his shoulders. "Yes, I thoughts so too, that's right."

"Jonas, can you go ahead and see if the wagon is ready?" his elder brother called from ahead.

"Sure Lars, I'm on it!" he said before he gave Daniel a look. "Daniel, be good now, and stay with Annabelle while we get uncle Walponce going, okay?"

"Hmph, fine!" the boy frowned and looked away.

Then his uncle ran off ahead of them. But halfway through the next he almost bumped into Nigel, who gave a loud, startled cry when he met him when he appeared down a staircase. "Aaah, your grace!" His face suddenly got pale and his eyes went wide as he walked back and stumbled in his own feet and fell backwards.

"Be careful now!" Jonas said and caught his arm in time and helped him up. "What's the hurry?"

"Eh-oh-uhm.. Sir, I... " Nigel stumbled as he managed to get back up on his feet. "I am so sorry! What a clumsy moron I am." He saw the company behind, with the Duke barely able to walk on his own, supported by Prince Lars. "Oh, Your Grace. Is everything alright? You're not leaving us already, are you?" Nigel asked.

"His Lordship will finds it necessary to leave as fast as possible!" Prince Lars said. "Brother...?"

"On my way!" Jonas said and ran away. Nigel looked after him and then looked at the Duke and the Prince, and immediately offered assistance.

"Your Grace, let me..." he said, offering his arm. "I am pleased to tell that bedrooms are prepared this moment, and the Queen has been informed about Annabelle. Your Grace should have seen the look on Her Majesty's face, she was eh... absolutely speechless!"

As they lumped away, Arianna looked after them when she approached the staircase from where Nigel had appeared a minute ago. She let out a sigh of relief and drew her breath again before entering the corridor. "Annabelle? Is that really you? It's been some years now, it's so good to see you!" She tried not to sound overwhelmed, but she did open her arms as she walked towards her. "Look how grown you have become! And so beautiful."

Annabelle looked in her direction when she was spoken to, and she too started walking towards her,, opening her arms as well as she met her with a hug. "Anutie! There you are. I was wondering if you were here at all!"

Arianna returned the hug warmly before she let go of her to look her in the eyes. "I was just having a nap after lunch when Nigel came to inform me about the big news. Is it true? Are you really getting married?" she grabbed her heart shaped face in her hands and smiled widely. "How terrific! What kind of man is this?" She grabbed her arm in hers and begun walking slowly. "Let me hear all about him. Do we know of him?"

"I doubt it very much, Auntie. You see..."

Annabelle were so uptaken with the Queen that she failed to notice that young Daniel had taken his leave again.

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"What do you mean with 'who's Cassandra?'" Karen said.

"I-I can't recall anyone with that name." he said, shaking his head while he gave her an excusing look with his huge blue eyes. "I'm sorry."

"But..." Karen got insecure of how to handle the situation. "Don't you remember me either?" she asked.

"Eh..." he eyed her up and down. "No, I... don't think so?"

"But... But I spoke to you! Don't you remember that at all? Down in the laundry hall?"

"The laundry hall?" he blinked and squinted his eyes again as he looked around before looking at her again. "Uhm... I hope you don't mind me asking again, but... precisely where did you say we are again?"

She moaned and rolled her eyes. "We are 'precisely...'"she put some weight on the last word in a sarcastic tone. "The kitchen in Corona Castle! That's where we are!" she crossed her arms when she was finished, looking down at him with half closed eyes.

"CORONA CASTLE?!" he widened his eyes and he got a panicked look on his pale face as he franticly started to look around himself. "What is going on? What am I doing here?" He stumbled to get up on his feet, scaring Caterpillar in the process, who had settled down beside him to wash his ear, but now he ran behind Karen's skirts. "I can't stay here! My dad is gonna-woaaaw..." He had barely managed to get up on his feet, before he rolled his eyes and looked like he was about to fall.

"Watch out!" Karen cried out as she ran to catch him when he almost fell down on the floor. She managed to grab him by his arm and hold him half way up while he landed on his knees. His head hung down and wagged back and forth, making him look like a ragdoll she had just lifted up from the floor. She noticed now that the glass in the goggles on top of his head were broken, one were even missing a few shards. She put some strength into lifting him, and got herself a shock when she discovered how light he was. As she held him, she saw how skinny his arms were and when he looked up at her, with a hazed gaze and confused look, she saw that his cheekbones were horribly visible. "Gosh, you're allot skinnier than I remember."

"Huh?" he mumbled underneath the mop of hair that hid half his face, not really able to focus. "What just happened?"

Karen suddenly got worried about him and forgot how frustrated she had been a moment ago."You know, don't look so well!" she said, and used her other hand to touch his palm to check his temperature. "Maybe I should..."

She never got to finish, because the door were suddenly flung open. "Karen, are you alright?"

Karen got startled at first by a third shocking surprise, then she froze when she heard Violet's voice, but the next second she saw the chance for some assistance. "He needs help, grandma!"

The elderly maid had been rather franticly when she entered, and there was a mix of emotions that crossed her face when she saw Karen with the boy in her arms. "What... Where did he come from?" she stumbled, trying to figure out of the situation.

"I don't know, but he's not in good shape!" Karen replied.

Violet forgot a moment about the reason she had stormed in like that when she saw the pitiful situation the boy seemed to be in, and walked over to have a closer look at him. "Poor dear, what in the world have you been through?"

"I don't know, and he doesn't seem to remember either." Karen said and tried to get his arm around her neck to keep him up straight. "He's head is all messed up. I bet he doesn't even remember his own name."

"No no, I remember that much." the boy said and tried to balance himself up. "My name is... Varitas." he said before shaking his head hard."No no, wait... Where did that come from...?" He pinched the bridge of his nose and thought a little before he shut his eyes up. "Varian! Varian was it..." His eyes suddenly rolled and he lowered his head a bit. "And now I got dizzy..." He touched his forehead with his free hand. "Aww, my head..."

"Oh goodness..." Violet got all concerned for him as she eyed him all over, and grabbed his other arm and took it over her shoulder, lifting him up on his other side so he could lean on her. "Look at you... Oh good gracious!" she said as he got him close and wrinkled her nose by the odor that came from him. "You need a bath and a good rest and..." she stopped herself when she touched the back of his head, feeling something wet in between his hair and draw the hand back and looked at it, her eyes wide and a gasp escaped her lips. "Oh my, you have a wound as well!" she said, looking at the red substance that had gotten on her hand. "What on earth have you been up to, lad?"

"A wou-wha-ah-aaah..." Varian said as he turned to look at her, but the moment he spotted the blood on her hand, he got even paler than he already was, his eyes rolled up, he got a foolish look on his face before his head fell down and his legs gave in and he sunk down. It was an easy task to hold the skinny little body up, but never the less, he was completely lifeless where he hung between the two maids. Karen and Violet both looked down at him, before they looked at eachother, both with arched eyebrows.

"Can't even stand the sight of his own blood?" Violet said and tried to lift up his chin with the bloody hand around his head, but he was all gone. The moment she dropped his head, it fell down, dangling between his shoulders. "No life at all... This was a strange one, indeed."

"I was about to take him to the royal medics." Karen said.

"Then that's just where we're going." Violet said and begun walking. "Thank goodness you found him."

"Yeah..." Karen said and followed, looking away as they approached the door.


	12. Chapter 11 Varian in the Medics

**Chapter 11: Varian in the medics.**

"Alright. Get on!" Prince Lars said to the coachman as the Duke himself was far to stuffed up and out taken with his allergy to give orders himself.

"Good bye, Sire. And... get well soon!" Nigel said as he waved towards the Duke's wagon as it the begun rolling towards the gate. The two princes exchanged looks; while Lars looked disturbed and concerned, Jonas looked like he found the whole matter a bit comical, even though he said out loud.

"And poor Daniel who has always longed for a pet."

"Oh well..." Lars said and scratched his beard as a smile showed up on his freckled face. "He's got you now, hasn't he?"

"And what is that supposed to mean?" he chuckled and gave him an arched eyebrow.

Lars' reply was a sly smile, and a neigh. This made Jonas roll his eyes and moan.

"Veeery funny, brother. I play horse and rider with him once in a while, but that does not make me your son's pet!"

"Well, I hope you gentlemen will allow me to be excused. I... I am afraid there are far too many preparations to be made for the prison... No - eh, the... the... dinner! Yes, the dinner. There's gonna be far more at the table now, so..." Nigel made a bow, far deeper than necessary, he actually almost touched the ground with his ponytail which fell right down, causing he two princes to give eachother a look. "I'll be on my way!" he said as he rose.

"Nigel, what on earth is the trouble?" Prince Lars said.

"Trouble? No! No trouble here, no no, not at all!" Nigel said and turned away, hoping with all his heart he was not sweating visibly.

"Look my friend..." Jonas approached before Lars were able to say anything. "I really hope that we haven't caused too much commotion with our sudden arrival. I know that the King got a little disturbed by Duke Walponce's request, and I admit, I feel a little guilty for being the cause of all this, I mean, by marrying Annabelle and all. If I had known it would cause so much fuzz..." He got a guilty look in his green eyes and looked down with a sad expression.

Nigel immediately broke in. "No no no! Not at all, sir. Not at all. We were all thrilled to hear about Annabelle's engagement. The Duke has worked so hard to find a proper suitor for her, and that she was to end up with such a fine young man as yourself... I believe that is more than we could have hoped for. If I may say so, I am most pleased to have gotten acquainted with you, Sir!"

Jonas looked up and met Nigel's face with a warm smile. "Then I can say that the pleasure is mutual. And please..." he said before putting both hands on his slender shoulders. "Call me Jonas. I hate to be too formal around my friends."

Nigel seemed a little whipped off the branch by such friendliness, and he had to clear his throat before he spoke. "Well, I... I will remember that."

A cough in the background made them both turn to face Prince Lars, holding his tied fist up to his chin while looking them with lowered head. "Nigel, will you be kind and inform Annabelle that her father is well off? And..." he gave an excusing smile. "It's not necessary to tell her he stumbled into the wagon like he did."

"Oh no, I see no reason for that!" Nigel made another deep bow before he made his way towards the stairs.

Jonas were about to follow when Lars grabbed him gently, but steady by his right shoulder. "We're right behind you, Nigel. I... just need a word with my brother."

"Very well, Gentlemen! Take all the time you need!" Nigel said before he disappeared.

Once he was out of sight, Jonas turned around to face his elder brother. "Alright, what is it now?" he said smiling, putting his hands on his hips.

Lars on the other hand, was not smiling. On the contrary, he gave his brother a strict look and lowered his voice when he spoke. "What are you doing? I thought we agreed that you would keep a low profile! And what is it you're doing? All the way you were overdoing it in there, practically licking the King's boots..."

"I am only making a good first impression. There's nothing wrong with that!"

"It's not a matter of giving the right impression; it's about going through with the plan like we agreed!" Lars was talking between clenched teeth out or frustration.

"Lars, you're putting too much into this!" Jonas held up his hands and tried to calm him down.

"Oh you think so?" he looked at him with wide, brown eyes. "I am actually putting not only my reputation and my honor at risk here, but my family's trust as well. I was married to King Fredric's cousin, and my son is next in line to become ruler of Corona next to the Princess. And as the situation is now, that may just be the case! I don't think I need to tell you that I have a certain dignity to preserve and stand up to!" Lars was breathing faster now, and had gotten face to face with his young brother by now, brown eyes meeting green eyes as he continued. "And I am putting it all at risk-I am risking everything... to give you a chance! To give you a future! So don't tell me how to handle this!"

The younger brother stood still, growing more and more tense and stiff as he was preached. Jonas looked for a moment like he was to give a biting respond, but then he let out a heavy sigh and lowered his shoulders.

"You're right. I... I may have overdone it a little. I guess I was a little... nervous in the presence of His Majesty, and... perhaps I wanted to prove myself to Annabelle. I sometimes feel like I can't live up to her expectations. I mean, weren't you feeling that way when you were engaged with Helga? I remember you were so violently in love with her that you would have brought her the moon if she asked you."

The mentioning of his wife made Lars loose his strict expression. His eyes got misty and he looked down with his lips tightly pressed together.

Jonas got a regretful look on his face and grabbed his brothers shoulders gently. "Lars, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned Helga. That was thoughtless of me! Please forgive me!"

Lars shook his head and removed his right hand from his shoulder and held it tightly in both his. He shivered a little as he drew his breath slowly with closed eyes, then looked directly at him. "Don't... Just... promise me to not make too much of a figure while we're here? I'm not just talking about me, it's just as much about you. For your own sake, it's important that we do like we agreed. I hope you understand that this is the only opportunity I'm able to give you. And therefore I need to know that I can trust you."

"Brother..."Jonas looked him in the eyes and drew his breath. "I won't do anything to disappoint you. I will take this opportunity you have given me and do my best... in the most modest way I can. That's a promise!"

Lars seemed to calm down by this, and let out a sigh of relief and gsve his brother a smile. "Thank you." He pulled him into a hug, and Jonas returned it. "I wish I could have helped you sooner." he whispered loosely.

"Don't..." Jonas tightened the grip around him. "You've always been there for me. I just... want to find a way to repay it all." he said as they let go of eachother. "And one day, I will!"

"Don't think of it." Lars said and looked at him, smiling. "Just stay out of trouble, and you've repaid me more than enough."

"No, I mean it! How about I name my first son after you?"

Lars chuckled as they begun walking up the stairs. "Well, that's a start. But you'll have to have a son first. For all you know, you'll end up with thirteen daughters instead!"

"Oh, don't mention it!" Jonas said, waving his brother off in a joking way while he held a hand on his forehead, shaking his head while laughing. "Thirteen Annabelles..."

This made Lars giggle, and the two brothers went inside, like nothing had ever happened.

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Karen and Violet didn't have the worst trouble getting the fainted Varian through the corridors, but Karen had trouble explaining to Violet how he just showed up in there without her noticing.

"I keep telling you, I don't know where he came from!" she said and she was dragging him along. "He startled me, and I..."

"Well, it doesn't matter!" Violet sighed, shaking her head. "Let's hope his damage aren't worse than that one of the medics can manage it."

They approached the chambers of the royal medics. Violet knocked the door as hard as she could, three times. They stood a moment, waiting with Varian still hanging between them.

"No one's answering." Karen said, looking at Violet.

"Of course they're not." the elderly maid replied. "Everytime Phineas aren't present the two others act like they have no duties as all. We will have to handle ourselves then." Getting a better grip around Varian's skinny waist with her left hand, she used her right hand to find her keys and opened the door.

"Grandma!" Karen's blue eyes went wide as she watched.

"What, my dear?" Violet said and smiled. "I have keys for every room in this castle, so we can get to them and clean them whenever it's necessary. You know that."

"Sure I know! But doing it like this? It's like breaking in." Karen said frustrated, but nevertheless she followed when Violet walked right in. The first room was the reception room of the medics where a desk was put, alongside with a bench and a shelf with many papers and books. There were three entrances in the rectangular room. There were one to the left beside the shelf that led to the medic's sleeping apartments; one right in front of them once they got in to the laboratory, and in the end of the room to the right was a set of double doors.

"Go and see if anyone is at the laboratory. I will take the boy to a bed."

"Okay..." she said insecurely and lifted Varian's arm gently off her shoulder.

Violet dragged him with her towards the double doors to the right in the room. She needed no keys for this and opened only the knob before grabbing Varian's hand again and pushing the door open with her hip. The room had about six wooden beds, placed three and three opposite each other. Each of them made simply with a madras, one pillow, sheets and blankets of wool. There were four huge windows in the huge room, three of the beds placed between each of them. Violet choose the bed in the middle, opposite of the windows, and placed Varian on top of the blanket, placing his head as gently as she could down on the pillow, then took the pillow from the bed next to them to support him better.

But his head barely met the second pillow before he moved it, moaning in the process. He opened his blue eyes and his foggy gaze met Violet's. "Eh... Hi... Again." he said husky, and he seemed to recall her from earlier.

"Welcome back, hun." Violet said gently to him and stroke away the bangs from his face. "Now don't move. We're gonna get you back in shape in no time, wait and see!"

"B-but I shouldn't be here, ma'am. I..." The confused boy tried to get himself up on his elbows, but Violet pushed him gently, but sternly back down.

"Don't you argue with me, boy! You stay there! I will be right back, and I will get really cross if I find you with your feet on the floor!"

The boy was laying down, but he seemed to sink even deeper as she instructed him strictly. His lips became a thin line and he as he looked around, getting more and more insecure at this situation.

Neither of them had seen that they had been followed.

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Just as the Duke's wagon disappeared through the Castle gate, a wooden cart driven by a steady farm horse and a pair of elder men, were about to drive in. The one driving the wagon was a huge man, dark skin and white hair and beard around a plump face and a bald head. The village knew him well, Xavier the blacksmith, friends with almost everyone he crossed path with.

The passenger were a different figure, slender and small, a slim head with cheekbones, gray hair, and narrow squinting eyes, but nevertheless a friendly appearance. He kept his long, dark gray beard tied up in a long braid, and he had two long lines of mustache hanging like rat tails down each side of his mouth. He wore a long moss green tunic and a garment that for many would have appeared like a dressing robe with ridiculously wide sleeves, tied up with a belt around his waist, and he wore a round cap on his head covering the bald top, while the dark gray hair was shaved except from the back of his head, where he had let it grow and were tied into not exactly a braid, but gathered in a whip tied with a silk strap that went all the way down to his waist.

The two men were chatting cheerfully when they were suddenly forced to stop as the fancy looking wagon rode past them like they were never there at all. A row of loud, muffled sneezes were heard inside it as they passed.

"Hm..." said the slender man. "Seems like the Duke of South Corona had dropped by."

"You're certain?" Xavier said blinking after the dust had laid down.

"It sounded like it." the slender one said chuckling. "It seems like his so called allergy had stricken again. I'm glad I wasn't present right now."

"I have heard rumors about that man." Xavier said as he got the wagon going again, wrinkling his forehead when he gave the fancy wagon a look. "What do you mean with his 'so called' allergy, Phineas?"

"He has the impression that he is allergic to all kind of furry creatures. But it occurs to me that it only strikes whenever he is aware of their presence." Phineas explained as they rode a little into the courtyard. "Had he really been allergic, he would have gotten a reaction with any poor creature in the room. But I have seen him be right behind a dog without getting as much as a running eye or a sniffle. I am utterly convinced that this 'allergy' as he calls it, is all in his head." He pointed to his own head to indicate what he meant, and Xavier chuckled.

"I suppose you are right, old friend. Now, do you need help carrying all there remedies of yours?"

"I would mostly appreciate some assistance, even thought you have been more than helpful enough already. I can't thank you enough for picking me up in Old Corona. If I were of that nature, I would curse that driver for just dropping me off like that."

"Rubbish! What are old friends for?" the old blacksmith said and started to load off the wagon. I'll just give this animal here some water, and I'll be there."

"Do so, I will go ahead." Phineas said.

The old physician begun walking a sideway near the stables with a huge sack on his left shoulder and a leather bag around his right. Despite the weight he carried, the old man walked with amazing speed up the stairs. Despite his old and slender appearance, he was in good shape and wasn't even breathing heavily when he reached the door towards the corridor.

As he entered, a pair of guards ran past him in such a hurry that he had to look after them. He squinted his almond shaped eyes and arched an eyebrow. "What in the world could that be?" He shrugged and kept walking in the opposite direction. As he was about to cross a corner, he almost ran into Pete and Stan, who immediately stopped in time to not crash into him.

"Impeccable timed, lads." Phineas said without moving. "But maybe I should start to wear armor myself while walking here now?"

"My apologies, Master Phineas!" the Stan said, standing up straight. "I wasn't aware that you were back! We didn't expect you back for yet another week?"

"We could surely have needed you here."

"Oh?" He blinked. "Well, I was lucky to get a ride with an old friend." the old man said. "May I ask what the hurry is? You look awfully stressed."

"I might as well inform you. There is a dangerous prisoner on the loose in the Castle." Stan said, still panting from running.

"And, of all things,..." Pete said, also catching his breath. "...there are some guests here that we would avoid alarming at any cost."

"Loose here?" his almond shaped eyes became twice its size. "That is alarming indeed. But... Shouldn't the guests be informed? It would be dangerous if they were to encounter with him?"

"The King's orders." the Stan said shortly. "I advise you to take care, Master. He's most dangerous criminal Corona has ever stood against."

"I will remember that. Thanks for the warning, lads."

And by that, the two guards ran off. Phineas was left standing alone, blinking as he got his own thoughts about the situation. "That's what I get for being gone for two months. I suppose there must be a reason why His Majesty wants to put a lid over this. But..." He shook his head as he began walking again. "Recent experience has taught us that is seldom a good idea."

He approached the medic chambers, but stopped when he saw the doors were open. "What is this? I do not recall this to be a cleaning day? Have my assistants forgotten themselves, or were they in a hurry?" He walked through the doors and found the doors to his laboratory open as well.

"Well, what do we have here?" he said as he spotted a figure in his lab. He put the bag and his leather purse down by the door, and walked to face the intruder.

**Phineas means 'oracle'. Fitting for a medic? In case anyone wonder, I hope I managed to describe him correctly, he is of chinese origin. You can see it on the poster I made of this story on my tumblr account. **


	13. Chapter 12 Varian meet the Medic

**Chapter 12: Varian meet the Medic**

Inside the lab, Karen looked around, eyeing no one. But she found herself staring at all the fascinating objects in the room. There were shelf's at both sides of the room, strictly organized, to her left was hundreds of bottles with all kinds of mixtures and tonics, all with a paper glued to it with inscriptions. The shelf's to the right were full of books and folded maps of papers and parchments. On the bench were a couple of trenchers put on top on each other, a mortar, a cup with lots of instruments Karen had never sine the likes of, and a pair of hammers of wood. Behind the bench, near the window, was a another bench with a pump and a sink.

"So many medications..." she eyes the bottles and squinted her eyes to look at the notes. "Phineas has a better organizing system than Grandma made for the cook in the kitchen." She quickly looked behind her back to see if her grandmother was there. "Hope she didn't hear me..."

Karen walked over to the mortar and eyed it curiously. "Similar to the one we make seasons of. Is he doing his cooking here as well?"

"Not exactly. But cooking and making medications aren't really that different, in fact."

Karen froze and swirled around to see the figure talking, and got embarrassed when she found herself standing face to face with the chief medic himself. He smiled at her, but she blushed rapidly, being caught red handed sneaking in and being nosy like that was tightly braided behind his back. "I'm sorry, Master Phineas. I... I was looking for one for the royal medics. I... I didn't expect you to be back already. But I'm glad you're here. You're really needed!"

"Well Karen, what can I help you with? Aren't you feeling well?" he looked at her with honest, friendly eyes.

"Eh, it's not me. We brought a boy along, and he needs some attention."

"Oh?" Phineas stroke a hand over his braided beard and widened his almond shaped eyes.

"You better come and see for yourself." Karen grabbed his hand and led him out of the room.

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"Easy now..." Violet said and gently removed the broken goggles from his head.

"Owtch!" Varian said as they were taken off. But he forgot about the pain when he saw the broken glasses. "Oh nooo... How did this happen?" he ripped them out of her hands and was about to exanimate them for how bad they were broken, when he suddenly got a wet cloth mashed up in his face.

Violet ripped the broken goggles out of his hands again."You can look at them later, sweetie." she said and gave the cloth a new dip of water before she continued behind his head to clean up the wound. He hissed as she used some force to get the wound washed. "Don't look now. It's a little bloody."

"Kay!" he said without objecting anymore as he recalled his normal reaction to blood. He let her push him down on the pillow again, letting his head land on a clean cloth she had put over it to prevent the pillow from getting bloody.

"You should have had a proper bath too, but we'll have to deal with that later!" she said as she removed the bowl from his sight. "You can open your eyes now, but don't move."

Varian opened his eyes and stared after her as she carried the bowl away. "What did she mean with that?" he mumbled to himself. Then he suddenly became aware of the smell of his own shirt and begun sniffing himself, and made a twisted face out of disgust. "Phiew...What...? Is that really me?" he whispered to himself as he wrinkled his nose.

She wristed the water into the bowl and was about to carry the bowl with bloody water out when she met Phineas and Karen in the door. "Oh, Master Phineas. You're back, at last!"

"Yes, I am. Now what is the cause?"

"Well, it seems like this strange lad has taken himself inside the castle walls without anyone taking any notice, and it seems like he can't recall how he made it here. It was Karen here who found him, in the kitchen of all places."

"Well, how did that become of?" Phineas asked, looking at Karen.

"Like I've told many times already, I have no idea of how he got into the kitchen!" Karen said frustrated.

"Well alright then." the old physician said. "But can you at least tell me, did you find him in this condition? Was he hurt when you found him?"

"Eh... Well, you see..." she looked down and wriggled herself, putting both hands behind her back. "He kind of... gave me a scare and... I accidently... knocked him out with the frying pan."

Violet stared at the girl in disbelief. "Karen? Of all things..."

"Well, he snuck op from behind! I thought I was alone, and I was frightened!" Karen tried to defend herself.

"For all we know, this might be the reason why he doesn't remember how he got here." Violet said.

Karen looked down with a guilty expression.

"Hm, then she must have hit him pretty hard to case a case of amnesia."

"Amnesia?" Karen and Violet asked at the same time, looking at him with questioning eyes.

"Yes, that's what you call it when you have lost some of your memory. Sometimes it's only a part of your memory while some people happens to be so unfortunate to forget completely who they are." He stopped when he saw their huge, questioning eyes. "It simply means you've hurt your head so much you can't remember."

"I don't care what it's called. I would just like to know he got in here in the first place." Violet said frustrated, placing her hands on her hips.

"He mentioned someone named Ruddiger. I think it's some kind of pet of his." Karen said. "So he hasn't lost all his memory."

"And he mentioned his name." Violet recalled.

"Good, that means there's still hope." Phineas said looking at Karen. "So there might not be too much damage caused after all."

While they were talking, the boy had gotten up in sitting position again and begun to examine himself a little further, and got himself one surprise after the other. He found it disturbing to see that his own clothes were, not just filthy and smelling, but his apron were almost falling off in the straps and his shirt more worn out than ever. Then he found the last ham slice in the front pocket, and made a face of disbelief and disgust; then he became aware of a tickling in his arm, and discovered the carrot he had hiding inside the sleeve his left arm, getting even more confused. He stared at them while he started scratching his head for some seconds trying to figure out of everything. But then his face suddenly twitched and he gasped as a sharp smell reached his nose, before he gave a couple of loud, squeaky sneezes.

The three others turned around by the sound, suddenly recalling he was still there.

"Are we doing alright?" the old physician said as he approached the bed.

"Eh..." the boy said, as he blocked another sneeze with a gloved finger pushed up under his nose. "Pepper in my hair... Donno know where that's from..."

"Well, that's a new one, indeed." Phineas had trouble keeping himself from chuckling as he pulled out a handkerchief from inside one of his wide sleeves and handed it to him. "Here, lad."

"Ah, thanks..." Varian said, and managed to cover his nose just in time before sneezing again. He gave his nose a good blow as well, an effort that made him dizzy and he had to lean back on the pillow, receiving help from the physician. "Head hurts..." he spotted the blood on the cloth on the pillow, and hurried to look away, making an awkward, squeaky sound of disgust as he twitched all through his body.

"Don't like blood, do we?" Phineas said smiling. "Just let us examine you properly." Then he turned around to the women. "Violet, will you be a dear and cover the closest window? And stay will you? I might need a hand here."

"Of course!" Violet said before she walked right to the nearest window to pull the curtains over it.

"And Karen..." he turned to the nervous little girl. "I would like you to inform the Majesties of my return. And tell them I will be busy with this lad here for a while and that I will update myself on the current situation when I am ready."

Frustrated over being sent away again, but at the same time relived over getting away from her grandmother, Karen sighed and turned to leave. "Alright, I will!"

"Hey wait!"

The sound of the boy's voice made her turn back.

"I'm... sorry I scared you. I really didn't mean that." He looked at her with huge blue eyes, full of sorry and apology, and in the pitiful condition he was in, Karen wasn't able to be angry at him. Instead she gave him an apologizing look back.

"Eh, I... I'm sorry too. I hope I didn't hurt you too bad with the frying pan. I didn't mean it either. Really."

"That's okay. I have been old I have a thick skull." he pointed to his head as he gave her a smile. "I'll be fine."

She chuckled and went off, hoping no one saw the light blush on her cheeks.

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Daniel started to become a little bored from where he was hiding. He had no idea of how long he had been lying under the bed, but it had to be long now, and his father had probably returned to Annabelle by now and was most likely wondering where he had gone. He couldn't blame him though. It was Annabelle's fault, it had been her job to look after him, and she had ignored him completely. She was supposed to look after that he did not wander about, and now she would get the blame because he had done just that. Served her right, the young Prince thought.

He hadn't been too happy over being left alone with his silly, vain cousin, so when she looked away, turning her attention towards the her own nails, he grabbed the opportunity to sneak away. First he hid behind a column, then, when he was certain she wasn't looking, he silently ran off.

Behind a corner, he had to hide behind another column when he spotted two guards running, and waited till they passed before he ran himself. He didn't know where he would go, but any kind of exploring was far better than being near Annabelle. But it didn't take long before something caught his attention. In the opposite direction, he spotted two women, one old and one young. But it wasn't the women that caught his attention. It was the strange being they carried between them, dragging along as they held it up. It looked like a boy, but Daniel couldn't see properly as he had so much black hair in the way. They stopped near a door, and knocked it. Then the elder one found a key and locked the door up, and they dragged the unconscious being with them inside.

Daniel's curiosity was struck. Why was the boy being unconscious? Was the boy hurt? What had he been doing? Why was he so funny dressed? He had to find out. So he decided to follow. He peeked in through the doors to have a look. He hid behind the door when the young girl came back and into one of the other rooms. Then Daniel used his opportunity to sneak in. As the old woman was helping the boy in bed, Daniel looked at them, but as he heard a noise behind him, the sound of a male voice, he feared his father was near and hurried to hide underneath the bed right next to him to not be discovered.

And there he stayed a little while, hiding while he paid attention to what was going on with the wounded boy, hoping it would take some time before his father figured out where he were. Although he knew deep inside that he would eventually get trouble with his father for running off in the first place.

But there was nothing to do about that now. Besides, it served him right for always ignoring him. Why was he always doing something that was more important than him? Wasn't he important at all? These thoughts made Daniel stay put where he was, continuing to stay silent and watch what happened.

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Still confused as he was, and realizing how much a mess his own head were, Varian let the friendly physician exanimate him all over. He lightened a match and used it to have a look at his eyes, one at the time, while the curtain was closed and asked him to look at the light.

"Now, out with your tongue, please." he said as he blew out the match and shook it to remove the smoke.

"Pardon me?" Varian arched an eyebrow.

"You heard me. Come now." Phineas demanded friendly.

Varian didn't understand why, but he nevertheless obeyed, and opened his mouth and stuck his tongue out. The physician gently took a grab on it and looked closely at it with two fingers.

"Thind anything inthesting?" Varian asked, still with his tongue out.

"Oh yes, indeed."The physician scraped a little of it before he looked at the content under his nail a moment with squinting eyes. "Very interesting indeed... So tell me lad..." he faced him again. "What date is it?"

Finally getting his tounge back, he had to moisturize it a little before he could answer. "S'cuse me, what?"

"I have to check if your head are still in one piece, and so I need to ask such simple questions to analyze your answer. If your answers makes sense, you may be in one piece."

"So you're afraid I might have some damage on my brain?" Varian asked nervously.

"Precisely. So far it doesn't seem too bad, but I want to be sure. Now just answer; the date?"

"Eh... Don't say it! Its..." Varian bit his bottom lip and looked up in the ceiling as he thought. But pretty soon, he closed his eyes and moaned while he rubbed the sides of his head as he failed to locate the date.

"Alright." Phineas said as he saw that the boy struggled. "An easier question then. What month is it?"

"Ehm..." Varian opened his eyes as he managed focus better on a wider scale. "August... Or September. I'm pretty sure its somewhere between those."

"Good. Violet?" he said as he looked at her, and pointed to the other window. When she walked towards it, he said: "Will you bring me the cloths on the table? And a bandage as well!" Phineas rose to have a look at Varian's back head. "Anything in particular that makes you think of these two months?"

The maid pulled the curtains for the other window and brought over the cloths and bandage on the bed, but arched an eyebrow at his answer when Varian spoke.

"Simple. The apples' just begun to grow red. Ruddiger is paying attention to them like a cat watching a mouse hole. He loves apples, but he's a bit cranky when it comes to quality. He simply won't have the green ones."

"I can't blame him. Who likes sour apples?" he begun wrapping a bandage his head. He noticed that Violet was about to open her mouth to react on the boy's comment, but the old physician reached up a finger towards his lips to indicate her into remaining silent. And so she did as she watched Varian's head being half wrapped up with bandage, with the wound on the back of his head covered up.

"If you have some milk along with it, they're not so bad actually." Varian kept telling. "You see, my dad is so into not throwing food away if you can prevent it, so my mother used to cut them up and put them into a bowl of milk and we ate them that way. I discovered later that the milk is sort of basic and has a high contain of fat, and it kind of neutralizes the sourness."

"It certainly sounds like your head works most fine at least.!" Phineas said, arching an eyebrow behind Varian's head, getting more and more curious at the boy. "Tell me son, where have you got your education? I have a feeling you would have made an excellent wine taster." he asked as he helped Varian lean back to the back of the bed on some pillows so he was sitting up and Leaning back at the same time.

"Oh, I am mostly self thought. I've red myself up about anything from math to science and a little bit of cooking and baking as well. Although I do most research by experimenting and observing."

"Really?" Phineas said, but he was unable to talk any further as Violet suddenly made a cry.

"Oh goodness, the dinner!" She slapped both hands on her face and dropped the cloths on the floor. "Phineas I am sorry, but I have hope you don't need me here any further. I have important guests to tend to, and the turkey might get burned and..."

"It's alright, Violet. The boy is safe in my care."

"Good!" She turned to Varian and raised a finger to him with a strict face. "Now you listen to Phineas, lad. If I find you out of this room when I return, I promise you'll have to stand before me. Am I clear?"

"But ma'am, I..." Varian begun, but Violet cut him off with clearing her throat loudly, and Varian shrieked his head between his lanky shoulders. "Okay!" he said rather meekly.

Phineas chuckled as he watched her run out. "Never argue with the women. That's why I've never married."

Varian wasn't sure what to reply on that, so he just gave a nervous laugh.

"So..." Phineas said as he gently grabbed his wrist and begun puling of his glove. "Shall we check your pulse?"

**I am perfectly well aware that the word amnesia most likely haven't show up yet in the historical setting, but hey, this is fiction, and it's magic involved here; why not have the word for memory loss included as well? I took this liberty because just 'losing his memory' sounds so... unprofessional. **


	14. Chapter 13 Varian meets Daniel

**Chapter 13: Varian meets Daniel**

Xavier came carrying a pair of huge wooden boxes on top of one other and almost crashed into a hysterical Violet as she stormed out of the door. How the plump woman managed to get past the huge man in the narrow door was a mystery itself, and Xavier found it peculiar how he himself managed to prevent himself from losing the boxes, but the old blacksmith knew better than speaking to a frantic woman, and just walked through the door with them, placing them near the laboratory.

He looked inside to see if his friend was there, but saw nothing. "Phineas?" He scratched his head, wondering where he had gone. But when he came out of the laboratory, he stopped.

"You don't have to be worried about me, lad. I'm not gonna do anything horrid with you." he heard Phineas' voice in the distance.

"Oh, I'm not worried, no no. You seem rather like you know what you're doing. But this is so... this is so different from what I expected. "

Xavier arched an eyebrow when he heard a squeaky voice along with his friend's. He walked to the stopped in the door as he spotted the physician; and his eyes widened and he chocked a gasp when he saw his patient.

"You see, the closest thing we had for a doctor in Old Corona was this old friar, and his methods were rather, what can I say? I'll give you an example; He made a smelly porridge made of... I won't mention, that he put on a cloth and wrapped around a broken arm... You would smell like you were dead. And then he said a prayer to make it heal." he rolled his eyes at the last sentence. "Like that would help."

"Oh gracious..." Phineas slapped his forehead. "How old fashioned... Not to mention far from hygienic. Uh..." he shivered.

"And used leeches when we were having fever. Kept preaching that our blood was bad and infected and needed to come out."

This made Phineas burst into loud laughter, and he had to lean on the bed frame as he held his belly. After half a minute laughing, he wiped his eyes and drew his breath, looking at the boy. "No my friend. I am not that kind of medic. I use modern science when I perform my work. I like to call myself a scientist more than a doctor."

"No way?!" Varian said, getting a wide smile on his face. "I a scientist too. But you've probably figured out by now that I'm not much of a doctor myself."

"Maybe so, but then again you could say; all cactuses are succulents, but not as succulents are cactuses." Varian arched an eyebrow at him, and Phineas smilingly explained forther. "That would mean that even if many doctors are scientists..." he winked at him. "...the professional kind that is, not all scientists are doctors. So tell me then, lad. What is your sort of... profession?"

"Modern alchemy. I use it to make thing easier in my village. At least I try, but, you know village people..."He gave an embarrassed look.

"Oh, don't mention it! But what if I told you..."

Xavier decided to cut himself in, and cleared his throat loudly to get his friends' attention. Phineas turned around and his almond shaped eyes widened at the sight of him. "Xavier?! I'm sorry I didn't come to help you with my things. But I got a patient thrown into my lap before I managed to pack out, and now I simply forgot time as well." the old man chuckled.

"So I see... " the blacksmith said as he entered the room and eyed the boy up and down. "But if I may drag you away from... your patient for just a moment, so you can tell me where you want all the things..." he pointed his head towards the door, indicating him to follow.

Phineas noticed that there were something more he wanted to say and nodded. "I'll be right there. Alright lad, I don't want any trouble with Violet, so if you would please wait right here? I will be back in a moment."

"I'm not gonna give you any trouble with her." Varian said. "I'll stay put."

"Good, just sit here then. It won't take long. Rest your head a bit." the old man said as he followed Xavier out of the room.

The two men went into the reception room and Phineas closed the door halfway. "Now my friend, what is the alarm? I noticed there were something on your mind, I know you too well."

"Then I will go straight on!" the blacksmith turned to face him. "Do you recall the traitor I was talking about? The one who went to attack on the kingdom and kidnapped and almost killed the Queen?"

"Yes?"

"You just got him thrown into your lap, old friend!"

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Being alone again, Varian were again reminded of his head hurting a bit, and laid down like the physician said, feeling how heavy his head were. Lying there, he puzzled a little over the situation he was in. He looked around in the room. _Am I really in the Castle?_ he thought to himself. He looked towards the covered windows and thought for a moment to go and have a look, but he found himself tired and laid back again.

But then he heard something, like a shuffle, beside him. As he opened his eyes, he became aware of a movement at the bottom of the bed to his left. The blanket was moving, like something had just crawled underneath it. Varian forgot about his pain and tilted his head a little to spot the hiding being. He managed to get his eyes on a small foot. He couldn't help but give a short laugh. "Whoever you are, it's safe to come out! The doctor has gone."

He heard a little shuffling, and shortly after, the blanket moved again, but this time it reviled something. A little, red haired head appeared, and soon, a fancy dressed little boy appeared in a marine blue jacket with golden buttons.

Varian was a little shocked at the sudden intruder. "You're a little too well dressed to hide under a bed, aren't you?"

The red haired boy gave him a nonchalant look between half closed brown eyes, raising his turn up nose high in the air. "And you're a little too ragged to be here inside the Castle, are you not?" he said, trying to appear a little older than he was.

Varian felt his cheeks change color and temperature rather fast as he was reminded of his condition. "I... suppose I can't argue with that."

"Where you hurt?" the boy asked and lowered his gaze in normal height.

"Apparently..." Varian begun. "I got a frying pan in my head."

"Oh?" the boy asked, tilting his head to the side. "What's a frying pan?"

"Wha...WHAT?" Varian's eyes went wide and his mouth fell open. "Don't you know what a frying pan is? Everyone knows that!"

"Well, explain it to me then!" the red haired boy said with a frown.

"Well, have you seen a pancake? Or a fried egg with bacon?"

"Of course I have seen it! I have that for breakfast."

"Well, they are made in a frying pan. You..." he looked around to find something to demonstrate with. He found nothing and decided to use his hand instead, holding it out the hand that still had its glove on with fingers spread.

"See here. It's like this, imagine a plate made of black iron, and a shaft to hold it with." he used his other hand to pretend his arm was the shaft. "And you hold it above fire, crack an egg's content into this and let it be fried in butter. It's how you cook."

"You mean, how to make food?" the boy's eyes widened. "Can you do that?"

"I'm not a professional cook, I'm actually better at baking."

"What's baking?"

"Eh..." Varian's mouth became a thin line and he rolled his eyes slightly while he held back a moan. "Okay... Baking is..." he thought for a moment before he said it as simple as possible. "Baking is how you make bread and cakes."

"You can make cake?" the boys eyes widened to twice its size. "Wow! You make frosting and cream and thinks like that?"

"Eh no, I mostly do bread and cookies. But they are quite good, if I may say so." he said with a confident smile. "I can even make them taste good without using sugar!"

"WOW! But..." the boy said, wrinkling his nose. "Bread aren't cake?"

"Yes they are almost, only with cake you add sugar and other things to make them taste sweet. It's like..." he thought for a moment, then spotting the fine linings on the boy's jacket, and spoke again. "If you think of sewing, you know making clothes. Your jacket and my shirt are both sewn the same way. It's just that mine is made simpler, and yours are decorated. Like a cake. Mine is just... plain. Like bread. Rough bread." he felt a bit embarrassed over his appearance and the compartment with the fine dressed boy, but he hoped it was enough for him to understand.

Apparently, it seemed to sink in somehow. "Ah, now I get it!" But then he wrinkled his nose. "But you need a new one. What's your dad gonna say if he sees your shirt is torn?"

"He's definitely not gonna like this..." Varian said. "But about the shirt, he'll just tell me to patch it up, like here." he showed his arm where the striped patched were. "See? I just cover it so there's no hole anymore."

"But then it looks like rags." This seamed completely odd to him.

"Yeah, but where I live, no one cares about that. It's not so important to dress so fancy in my village. I normally don't care how I dress."

"Me neither!" the boy said. "But my dad forces me to dress like this. If I had done something like that to this jacket..." he pointed at him. "He would ground me. You're so lucky!" he said looking away with a pout.

"Well, if my dad finds out about this, he'll probably ground me too." Varian said, leaning his forehead on his hand for a moment as he got a little worried about that matter.

The fancy dressed boy laughed. "You have a strict dad too?"

"Oh don't mention it!" Varian giggled as he shook his head."

"Will he yell at you? Like this?" He straightened up, putting one hand on his hip while he waved his other hand, pointing his finger like he lectured someone as he made a deep voice. "One more prank from you, Daniel, and you'll go to bed without supper! Is that clear?"

Varian gave a slight laugh. "Eh... No he normally just shakes his head and says..." he put on himself a frowned disappointed look as he shook his head the way his father would and spoke with deep voice. "Not again, Varian!"

The boy laughed at the imitation, and the relief made Varian laugh as well.

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"So that is the case!" Xavier finished and looked at his friend.

The old physician had been silent and listened while he spoke, and now he made a nod. "So... I don't know what to say... I am simply speechless."

"You know what I told about him..." Xavier shook his head and let out a sigh. "If only there was a way..."

"Hmm..."Phineas was silent a moment, before he spoke, without looking up. "It might be that the boy has forgotten more than I first was aware of."

"There are a month and a week since this happened." the blacksmith said.

"And his memory stretches as far as over half a year ago... to august..."he cupped his own chin, and frowned his eyebrows. Then he looked up, a determinant look in his dark, narrow eyes. "Xavier, I think maybe we have a horrid problem at hand. I think his head might be more severely damaged than I thought at first. We must be extremely careful here, or else..."

"Or else what?"

"Or else we might lose him! And then you'll lose your chance, old friend."

Both men went silent, and Xavier lowered his gaze to the floor. He sighed and got an extremely painful look on his face. The silence between them made them hear voices from the sickroom, and both arched an eyebrow when they heard a young voice along with the alchemist's. Loud laughter made them forget the matter for a moment and they both got curious.

"Maybe we should check this up?" Phineas said as he carefully opened the door to peek through it. Xavier followed and watched through the door with him.


	15. Chapter 14 Varian meets Xavier

**Chapter 14: Varian meets Xavier **

"So your name is Varian?" Daniel asked.

"Aha!" he answered. "And your name is Daniel?"

"Prince Daniel, actually. And my dad is Prince Lars of Sourthern Ilses. That's far away from here. I've only been there once, but I don't remember. My mom said it was a dreadful place and she hated it."

Varian was a little struck by the realization that he was sitting next to a prince. "Well your Majesty..." he replied as politely as he could, and gave a slight bow from where he sat. "I hope you'll forgive me for now standing up and bow properly as I should, but I was strictly told by the doctor not to move." he grabbed his head gently. "And I think I'll pass out of I even try to get up."

"That's alright. But who are you, and where do you come from?" Daniel nevertheless demanded to know.

"Well Your Majesty..." he said, making a nod. " I'm an alchemist. From Old Corona. "

"Oh?" Daniel puzzled and arched an eyebrow at him. "What's... alachemie?"

"I think the real question is; how did you get in here, young man?"

The boy froze at the voice interrupting them. Varian turned to look at the physician, and arched an eyebrow at the other, bigger man beside him.

"I can't recall letting anyone in. It's running over with mysterious appearing boys here, or what Xavier?"

"It certainly does, old friend." the old blacksmith chuckled in the background.

"Now?" the old physician approached the red haired boy. "Care to tell me where you came from, and maybe who you are as well?"

The boy seemed a little uncomfortable by the presence of the old man, but then he suddenly straightened up and looked him straight in the eyes. "I am Prince Daniel, and my father and I are here from South Corona for a visit, just so you know!" he replied in a rather sassy tone, looking straight up at him with half closed eyes and his nose straight up.

Phineas seemed to realize the royal company. "Oh, from South Corona? I believe that you are related with the Duke of South Corona then?"

"That's my uncle Walponce!" Daniel said. "But uncle had to leave because a cat made him sneeze so much."

"Ah. That explains." He chuckled and turned towards Xavier again. "Was I right?"

"Why, seems like it." Xavier chuckled, making his whole body shake.

"Or my father actually said it was something else, he said it was a racking... or something like that. It was gray and had a striped tail."

"Do Your Majesty by any chance mean a raccoon?" Xavier said with half closed eyes squinting at him and an arched eyebrow.

"Yeah, that's what he said!" the boy jumped up.

"A raccoon in the Castle. Well well, what do you say to that?" Phineas said, stroking his beard.

"I actually have a raccoon back home." Varian said.

Both Phineas and Xavier looked at each other at this, but Daniel got excited. "You do? Maybe it was yours I found in the corridor. "

"I doubt it." Varian shook his head slightly. "Ruddiger don't like to leave home."

Suddenly, Phineas broke into laughter. "So Ruddiger is a raccoon? Well that I must say... I thought at first that he was a horse or perhaps a pony since you mentioned he was found of apples."

"What?!" This made Varian burst into laughter again. "You... you'll never see me on a horse. Never!"

"I must say, this is the most interesting day in a long time." Xavier said as he approached them. The blacksmith had kept a certain distance, but now he walked on the other side of the bed towards Varian, and grabbed the boy's gloved hand in his. "But anyway, sonny, it's nice to finally meet you."

"I'm sorry?" Varian asked as he let go of the huge man's hand. "Do we... know eachother?"

"We've met before. Long time ago. I doubt you recall, cause you were this tiny." Xavier held his hand towards the floor with tree feet's distance. "I think I gave you a pretty good scare at that time. I hope I don't have that effect on you now." the old blacksmith gave a wide smile and a look Varian wasn't able to read.

"Huh? No no, don't worry about that. Few things frighten me now."

"Except your own blood." Daniel said with arms crossed.

"Eh..." Varian felt he blushed again as the grownups begun laughing, and begun to rub a finger underneath his nose, a thing he did whenever he felt embarrassed.

"You two are dressed almost the same!" Daniel concluded as he spotted Xavier's huge leather apron and pointed at them in turn. "Are you an alakemist too?" he asked.

"Ah..." Xavier were a bit startled by the question when Varian helped him understand.

"He means alchemist."

"Ah! No sonny, I am a blacksmith. I make shoes for horses and other things of iron."

"Wow! Can you show me?" Daniel asked with big eyes.

"If I get the chance, I will!" the blacksmith said. "I come here to the castle every thrird month to change the horses' shoes. I bet I get a chance to show you."

"But I still don't understand..." Varian started again, but Xavier interrupted him. "I have a feeling of seeing you before somewhere."

"All in time, sonny. All in time. Hmm..." he closed in and picked up the goggles with the broken glass. "Hmm... Those were not in a good condition at all."

"Hm... Dad is gonna curse me for breaking them like that. Or even worse..." Varian said upset. "Darn, now he has an excuse for forbidding me to do my experiments."

"Well, he doesn't have to know, does he?" Xavier got a sneaky smile on his face as he carefully folded them and put them into pocket of his apron. "Let me fix them up for you, sonny, and we don't have to let your daddy know."

Varian's face broke up in a moved smile. "Wow... Will you do that? I don't know how I..."

"Don't think of it, sonny. Right now I leave you with my good friend Phineas here, while I go and unload the wagon before the guards has me thrown out for illegal parking."

"I hope you don't mind that I stay behind here." the old physician said. "I am not finished with our young friend here."

"No problem." the blacksmith said. Then he turned to Varian. "Take care then. And..." he made a deep bow in the door. "Till we meet again, young Majesty!"

Daniel's face broke up in a wide smile by the recognition of his title.

"Young Prince..." Phineas said and kneeled down to Daniel's level. "I need to study how damaged Varian's head is. Do you think you can help me here? I'm quite sure such a bright young boy like you can manage that?"

Daniel was happy for being appreciated, and smiled at the physician. "Sure. What do I do?"

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Out in the corridor, the two princes walked through the corridors when they spotted a gurd running past them. "Say, it it just me, or is it something odd going on?" Jonas asked looking after him. "Nigel was kind of peculiar too, and His Majesty as well."

"Hm, hard to say..." Lars scratched his beard. "I guess we..." He stopped himself when they heard sound of Princess Annabelle i the distance.

They met Annabelle and the Queen around next corner. Annabelle was chatting loudly about how she wanted her wedding gown in the newest fashion with these wide skirts and double layers of ruffles.

"I want it to go just as wide as this..." she held out her hands as far as almost eight feet, and Arianna widened her eyes and covered her mouth by the description of how wide it would go. "And then I thought... " She stopped herself when she spotted the brothers approaching. "There you are! What took you so long?"

"I'm afraid it was my fault." Jonas said as he approached her, grabbing her hands and raised one of them to kiss it. "I begun talking with my brother about the wedding, and we forgot the time. I hope I didn't keep you waiting?"

Jonas' huge green eyes made Annabelle smile back. "No no, it's alright." Then she turned towards Arianna, smiling like a thousand suns. "Auntie, this is my fiancé, Jonas!"she said with proud in her voice.

"Your Majesty!" Jonas made a deep bow as he took the hand Arianna was holding out, kissing it gently.

Arianna couldn't help but smile when she saw how pretty he was. When he rose up again, he exposed to be rather tall, the same as his brother, and about the same width. He had a long face with a matching, long well shaped narrow nose, fair skin and a light dust of freckles on his cheeks. His bright red hair was tied into a tight ponytail in a blue ribbon on the back of his head with a split on the middle, and his well trimmed, long grown sideburns framed his face on both sides and were hanging a little underneath his ears. Not to mention a pair of dreamy green eyes and a acuminating smile, gave him the appearance of the perfect gentleman. He wore the same kind fashion as his brother, the blue uniform like jacket with buttons on both sides and, only his were of silver, and the gray pants were a bit simpler; where his brother had two black lines down the leg of the dark blue pants, his had some, and he had taller boots as well without any buckle, only buttons at one side. He could very well be a dashing prince dragged out of a fairytale book.

_Even Rapunzel would have been fascinated by this man,_ Arianna thought to herself. _A good thing neither she or Eugene isn't here now. He would have been disturbed and felt rather threatened by this one's appearance._ Even though the former thief were rather proud of his looks, she knew it was only a shell to hide how insecure he really was. This was a similar trait she had seen in Fredric many years ago, and the reason for why she had fallen for him.

"How nice to meet you at last. I have been so curios, and I look forward to hear all about you." She turned to Lars, who bowed just as deep to her. But then she looked around. "But... isn't your father present, Annabelle?"

"He had to leave because of a sudden allergy attack." she sighed, all joy fading from her face and were replaced with an up given frown and she crossed her arms. "It's so unfair!"

"Oh dear! I... I hope he'll be alright."Arianna said, folding her hands.

"He will manage, but I think it was for the best that he took his leave." Lars explained. "Besides, he had business to take care of, so he wasn't planning to stay."

"I wonder though..." Jonas said chuckling. "...how much sneezing a simple raccoon could cause!"

Arianna felt how all color faded from her face and she really had to gather herself to not fall apart. "A...a...a r-rac-coon... you said...?" she cursed herself for trembling while speaking.

"I know, it was awful." Annabelle said. "Auntie, you really need to give those guards a lecture. To let such wild beasts into the Castle..."

"Hehe... You're absolutely right." Arianna cleared her throat. "I will make sure that does not happen again. But..." she turned to Lars. "Prince Lars, I was told you brought your son along? Where is young Daniel?"

"Right... That's what I would like to know as well." Lars' eyebrows frowned at Annabelle. "WHERE is my SON?!"

Annabelle just huffed. "How am I supposed to know?"

"Annabelle...!" Lars' mouth fell open and he stuttered like he was about to get choked. "You were supposed to look after him."

"Really uncle, you never said that." she replied absentminded and looked away with half closed eyes. "He was told to stay with me, so it's his own fault if he has disobeyed."

"For goodness sake, lass!" Lars rolled his eyes and bit his teeth together in frustration. "He's your cousin..."

"And does that make me his wet nurse?" she turned to him, getting angry. "It's your own fault, you're spoiling him!"

"Oh, you're the one to speak!" Lars replied chilly.

"Why you...!" Annabelle never managed to finish off her respond and Jonas spoke up, interfering their argument.

"Your Majesty? Is everything alright?"

Lars and Annabelle both looked at Jonas, who were looking concerned at Arianna. When they turned to face her, they saw that the Queen had gotten pale with a frightened look in her wide green eyes.

"Your Majesty?"

"Auntie?"

Their voices brought her back from her state, and she looked at them in turn. Then she chuckled lightly. "Forgive me, I... I am not being myself at days." She folded her hands and forced a smile. "Should we not... go and find young Daniel then? I want to see how much he's grown."

"I believe your Majesty is right. We better find him. Fast." Lars said as he offered the Queen his arm. As Arianna let her own arm slide around his, he looked back at Annabelle, giving her an angry glare, silently telling her that he was far from done with her.

Annabelle only rolled her eyes in reply.

"Let's be off, then..." Arianna said, letting herself be supported by Lars' steady figure as she was rather dizzy, and started to walk back to where they had come from. She tried her best to appear normal, but inside her she was ten times troubled than she had been already.

Little Daniel on his own in the castle, along with a dangerous Varian on the loose, both anywhere in the many corridors. The thought was almost too much for the Queen to handle. If the situation wasn't already out of control, it sure was now.


	16. Chapter 15 The Problem with Ruddiger

**Chapter 15: The Problem with Ruddiger**

The King looked at the Captain, and then at Ruddiger, then at the Captain again. "Something tells me it's not gonna be that simple." Fredric said, still not convinced of the Captain's plan.

"Maybe so, but I..."

"Your Majesty!"

They both turned around to see Nigel, panting as he had just stopped running. "Oh, the animal?" the royal advisor said as he spotted Ruddiger on the King's arm. "Does this mean you've..."

"Caught him?" the King shook his head. "No. But the Captain ia planning to use our little friend here as a bait to catch him." Ruddiger looked at each of them in turn, as he most likely realized they spoke about him. "He will most likely not leave without him, and we suspect he'll come back for him. What about the Queen?"

"Her Majesty has been informed, and the Duke has left the Castle. And I believe I see the cause." he gave Ruddiger a glare that caused the critter to lower his ears and curl himself up to a ball on the King's arm.

"Yes, our friend here seemed to have trigged my cousin's sensitive nose." Fredric said and gave him a pat, making him raise his ears again as he looked up to find the King smiling to him before he turned to the two others. "Which was quite fortunate indeed if it meant he left before he should. But we have no time to lose."

"Her Majesty will handle the guests, and right now, I'm about to inform the rest of the staff. The guards will have more than enough to think of right now."

"I would be most reviled if I could leave that task to you, Nigel." the Captain said gratefully.

"Then I take the liberty of excusing myself!" Nigel made a bow and made his way past them. "Like Your Majesty said, we have no time to lose!"

"Do so." the King said and watched the slender advisor run off.

The King and the Captain turned to eachother. "So how do we do this?" the King asked.

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Nigel did not stop one second and panted his way through the corridor.

As he swirled around the next corner, he failed to stop as he stumbled over a smaller being, who gave a loud cry when he fell over her. Both of them had to take a moment to gather themselves. When Nigel looked up, he was nevertheless relieved.

"Karen! Oh, thank goodness I found you in one piece. "

"That depends!" she said angry and scowled at him as she got up and held up her skirt, which had gotten a rift by her hip. "Look what you did to my dress!"

"Never mind that." he said as he rose, supported by the wall. "Have you met your grandmother?"

"Yes!" she said, insulted that she didn't get an apology from him, and brushed dust off herself rather than looking at him.

"Oh gracious me! You must hide immediately! Go to your room and lock the door!"

"What?" She turned to look at him, confusion on her young face. "What do you mean?"

"But you said you had spoken with your grandmother?"

"Yes, I have, and now..."

"But then you must understand the reason why you must hide!" Nigel urged desperately and grabbed the little girl by her shoulders and tried to lead her with him, but Karen just shook herself out of his grip.

"Hide from what, Nigel? I haven't got the time now. Don't you know we have important guests to tend to?"

"Your grandmother and aunt can do that. You're too little for..."

This was just it for her. Karen's day had been too much for her already, and she was done with people telling her things she was tired of hearing. She swirled back to face him, frowning as she as she cried out loud right in his face. "Listen up, I am through with people telling me I am too small or too young and that I can't handle anything the other's can! Now you stay out of my way and let me finish what I was supposed to do!" She had become all warm from firing up like this, and when she was to turn away, she ended up stomping as she was walking away with tied fists down her sides.

But Nigel wasn't going to give up that simple, and he walked after her, speaking as he followed her. "Now young lady, I'm not certain you understand the danger here! We're having a dangerous prisoner in the castle, and it's practically suicide walking around by now!"

"Oh please, like we should be in danger in here!"

"Karen! I order you to stop this instance!" the advisor grabbed her arm, maybe a little harder than intended, but he felt it was no time to be careful. He had to protect her from a potential assault from Varian, at any cost.

But Karen was already angry and did not want to be taken for granted. So instead of following him, she raised her skirts and gave him a solid kick in his lower leg. "Let go of me, you scarecrow!"

"OUWTCH" the skinny advisor cried out as he grabbed a hold on his leg and begun jumping uo and down. In the meantime, Karen walked away, and when Nigel discovered she was gone, he desperately begun limping after her. "Karen, wait!"

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Further down the hallway, the Queen and her company were walking while they heard Annabelle complaining about her father being forced to leave before he would have time to meet with Airanna.

"Yes, that was sad, I know, but..." Arianna stopped as she heard some voices.

They saw the Captain appear around the corner, as he turned back to make a salute to the other person behind the wall. "I will see to it, Sire. I am on my way!" He turned to walk in their direction, but as he looked up and spotted the company arriving, he widened his eyes and gave a stifled cry. "Oh... my Queen-and... royal company?!"

Fredric was about to enter, but he had barely gotten past the corner when he spotted them. He got so startled that he froze in shock. As he still had Ruddiger on his arm, he was glad the Captain was still there to hopefully hide him. But he could not show himself with Ruddiger now, or would become too much commotion with both Annabelle and Daniel.

But to his great luck, Arianna came to his rescue. Realizing her husband was near, she thought of the need to act quickly. The moment she spotted the Captain, she let go of Lars, and ran towards him.

"Captain! What a wonderful surprise. I am sooo glad to see you!" she approached and grabbed him by the arm before he could react. Before she dragged him with her, she whispered as loud as she could in Fredric's direction. "Fred, I need a wor..." Her eyes widened a moment when she spotted Ruddiger, but Fredric managed to turn away with the raccoon, hiding the critter from the eyesight of the company behind the corner as Arianna dragged the confused Captain along with her. When they went, she whispered quickly. "Play along, no matter what!"

Then she turned to the guests again, smiling brightly as she spoke out loud. "The Captain wanted to congratulate you in person about your engagement. Annabelle, I don't know if you recall the Captain, you know, he is Cassandra's father."

"Do I need to be reminded?" Annabelle replied rather dryly.

The Captain were rather disturbed, but as the Queen gave him an urging look, he went to play along, and made a deep bow towards the company. "Yes yes, I was thrilled to hear about the upcoming wedding. My warmest congratulations. I am, eh... quite certain my daughter would have been the first to look forward to this grand event!"

"Sure! Where are you keeping her? I was actually a little curious to see what she looks like full grown." Annabelle chuckled, then she turned to Jonas, who looked confused. "You see my dear, whenever I was here, Cassandra was the only other little girl around, so she was put to be my playmate. But she was the kind of girl who preferred horseback riding and sword fighting and, for goodness sake, she walked around in pants! I tell you, the only thing Cassandra and I ever will have in common, is that we both happen to be adopted."

As Annabelle was busy telling them about Cassandra, Arianna snuck away from the company, looking one last time at them before she too disappeared behind the corner. She felt bad for letting Annabelle humiliate his daughter like this, but she had to let him distract them while she spoke with Fredric.

She found him trying desperately trying to hide Ruddiger inside his waistcoat without making it look like nothing was there. The critter didn't look like he was too happy about it, and the sudden stress made him worried and caused him to croon in frustration.

"Please, Ruddiger. Don't be difficult now, you do understand that we can't let them see you now!"

"Fred, what is he doing here?" Arianna half whispered.

"Little Daniel found him in the hallway. Varian must have failed to notice he was falling behind, I can't say what happened. But my cousin left, luckily because of him. Just keep them occupied a little while till I find a better place to hide him."

"Fred, we have a bigger problem." Arianna whispered franticly. "Daniel is missing too. He's running around on his own right now, and we don't know where!"

Fredric gasped. "You mean... here in the halls?"

Arianna nodded.

The King held a hand over his eyes and shook his head. "For heaven's sake, we need a miracle now!"

From underneath the King's waistcoat, Ruddiger peeked out his snout, staring back and forth from the King to the Queen, wondering what was going on and if they were going any further with this.

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Violet approached the kitchen huffing and puffing, and flung he door open, almost bumping her daughter out of the way in the process. Millicent got frustrated over this and had to gather herself when she entered the kitchen. But inside, she got herself yet another shock.

"Has nothing been done? No potatoes peeled or vegetables cut? Nothing?"

"No worries, Milly dear." Violet said as she found a wooden trencher and a knife. "If we just get started, we will manage."

"Where is Karen?" Millicent demanded to know as she found a knife and begun peeling the potatoes. "Just wait till I find her. She is really going to hear it!"

"We had a little situation. Nothing more. She had to go an errand, but she will return soon."

"That is no excuse, today of all days..." Millicent kept complaining.

Violet chopped a couple of carrots when she suddenly became aware of a touch on her right leg. As she looked down, she found Karen's orange striped cat rubbing itself towards her dress. The animal was purring and looked up at her with huge, green eyes. Violet chuckled and bent down to give it a few strokes. "Oh no, not now. You may have some leftovers, but not until it's done and finished. Now off you go! I'll never get anything done it you're to disturb me." she gently patted it's end to make it walk away.

Slightly insulted, Caterpillar decided to do a second try at Millicent. He stroke himself towards her leg at first, but Millicent just ignored him. But the cat wasn't going to let itself be overlooked, and decided another turn. With just a sprang, it jumped into her lap; which turned out to be a bad idea as it made her give a loud startled cry.

"Get off me, you filthy bag of flees!" she yelled and pushed him off her lap, making him land rather clumsy on the floor with a meow. This time, deeply insulted, he decided to walk away.

Violet noticed this and looked at her daughter with sad eyes. She took a break from the vegetables and headed over to her. "Milly, dearest..." she said, gently putting a chubby hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Listen hun. As soon as this dinner is over with, I think we soon have to have a little chat, all three of us."

"What do you mean?" Millicent said, getting so frustrated that instead of peeling off a slice she cut the potato in half so it flew across the floor, causing her to give yet a cry of frustration.

"I think you know just what I mean." Violet said as Millicent rose and went to pick the half potato up. "It has been a while now, but we can't pretend forever that things are alright again, because they're not. And you know that things aren't going to get any better with Karen by ignoring the problem. If you ask me, we have been ignoring it for too long already."

"Well, it wasn't me who just 'blurted' out with it, was it?" Millicent said as he sat down again, placing the potato on the bench. But before she was able to go on with the peeling, her mother held her hand over the knife.

"Listen! Ever since she got to know, you've been so snappy at her, and even cruel at times. I understand that this is difficult for you, but it's not her fault, you know that. I think maybe you would feel better about it if you came clean with her."

"And I think..." she pushed away her hand. "... that if we don't get started on these blasted vegetables, we will never get dinner ready in time! And that so called discussion of your will have to wait till later as, in case you have forgotten, I have that dainty Princess Annabelle to handle. So let's get to work!"

Violet looked at her daughter a moment, then sighed as she went back to her task. "Alright, but don't you dare be too angry at her when she comes back."

"Fine! I'm not gonna say a word."

Violet begun cutting again, but her mind was elsewhere. "Maybe it's better that way..."

But all of a sudden, Millicent stopped peeling and looked up with wide eyes, dropping the potato on the floor. "You said she was running an errand?"

"Yes, Master Phineas is back, and he told her to inform the Majesties." Violet said.

"But what about that prisoner?" She turned to face her, with frightened eyes. "Have they caught him yet?"

Violet stopped cutting, and the room went silent before Millicent rose and spoke again. "You did tell her about the prisoner, right?"

"Oh dear..." Violet dropped the knife on the floor.

"That's what I thought!" Millicent shook her head and headed for the door. "I'll go and find her!"

"I'm going with you..." Violet begun, but her daughter cut her off by turning towards her and holding up a hand.

"No! You stay here and finish off the dinner. I will find her and lock her up in her room if I have to!"

"Alright, but... Don't be too hard on her now?"

"Fine, I won't." And by that, Millicent felt the kitchen. As she closed the door behind her, Violet sighed heavily as she picked up the knife.

"Oh dear... How could I be so foolish?" sighing again, she went back to the bench. "Maybe I should think of retiring."


	17. Chapter 16 A Boy in the Sick Room

**Chapter 16: A Boy in the Sick Room**

**I am just going on with this despite that season 3 does the same. And I will until I am through with it. I hope you will enjoy this chapter. **

**I find myself in a chapter mood today.**

**By the way, a deep and wholeheartely thanks to those who has given comments. They mean allot to me. Thank you so much, I hope you will continue and give me constructive feedback and tell me what you think. **

"I am thrilled to hear this. Congratulations to both of you!" the Captain said, giving a little extra shake in the grip he had in Jonas' hand. He tried his best to put a little extra in it to cover the current situation, but discovered to his embarrassment how poor he was when it came to small talk. "I am... overwhelmed by this upcoming event!"

"Thank you indeed. And I am... overwhelmed by your enthusiasm." Jonas said as he finally got his hand back, and discreetly gave a questioning look to his brother, who arched an eyebrow and shrugged back.

"What a pity I did not get to tell his Lordship himself what a pleasant... thing this is... I was told he had to leave so quickly. What a shame. Eh... But how splendid. I mean the wedding, that is. A wedding is just what we need to look forward to now."

"That's what my father was saying too." Annabelle said nonchalant, but then she got a different look in her eyes. "Speaking of weddings, how about your little Cassandra? How is she doing at these days?" the Princess said in a sweet, but a little spitting tone. "Have you got any plans of finding her a husband? Or has she managed to... capture one herself yet?"

The Captain found the mocking tone in her voice on the edge, but he kept his smile, even though rather stiff. "Oh, you won't find Cassandra married in a while. My daughter is... in fact, far too dedicated to her duties as Princess Rapunzel's lady-in-waiting. She... loves her job and puts everything into it." The Captain found it rather unnecessary that he had recognized his daughter's skills as a guard in present company. "I am quite proud of her position, in fact. Unfortunately, she happens to be away, along with the Princess, and does not get to share this pleasure."

"Hm. What a surprise." Annabelle chuckled. "I missed her too."

"Well, of course she had to bring her lady-in-waiting with her." Jonas said.

"So, I take it that the wedding will take place in not too long, I hope?" the Captain asked. "Or are you planning to wait till the Princess comes back? I am certain she would love to be there to witness her cousin's wedding."

"Sure..." she said as she tilted her head towards Jonas and gave him a dreaming look with her brown eyes. "If only I can wait that long!"

"That depends..." he replied and took her hand. "For my part, we could have done it tomorrow."

"Without my father present? Absolutely not!" she said and gave his hand a light smack with the closed fan hanging from her wrist.

_Rapunzel would have found this adoring, but Cassandra would have thrown up by now_, the Captain thought to himself. _Thank heavens' they're both away._ But his thoughts were interrupted when Lars spoke.

"Captain, I am sorry to bother you with this, but you probably remember that I brought my son along?"

"Yes, I seem to recall a young lad..." the Captain said.

"And now..." Lars cleared his throat and blinked nervously. "I am afraid we have lost him. He might have taken a stroll, somewhere around here. Perhaps you have seen him?"

The Captain's eyes widened and his lips became a thin line underneath his mustache. He almost swallowed his bottom lip to prevent himself from bursting out with something that would give away the situation.

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"What are we going to do, Fredric?" Arianna asked, on the edge of panic.

"I don't know, I have to think..."

"There's no time for that!" Arianna tried not to raise her voice.

Ruddiger was getting anxious from their frustration and started to wriggle. Fredric recalled he was still there, and grabbed a hold on him. "No please, Ruddiger. Don't..."

Arianna helped him keep his paws under control as the critter didn't calm down. "We have to hide him, we can't let them see him with us."

"Don't worry about him. The Captain has a plan, and..."

"AHEM! My Queen!?"

The Captain's loud cough brought them back and Arianna held up her hand to make him wait before she appeared from behind the corner, hoping her cheeks weren't getting red from stress and probably smiling a little more than necessary. "Captain?"

"Don't you think it's a good idea to get the guests settled after the long journey, and then I will go and look for young Prince Daniel and see that he returns to his father."

"That's a brilliant idea, Captain!" Arianna folded her hands as she walked to them, grabbing Annabelle by her arms, gently but steady. "As a matter of fact, I think that we should head off right now! Please follow me. I will personally show you to your rooms- We have made ready the best, and we have made sure Annabelle get's her own lady-in-waiting, and..."

"No no! I insist on going with you, Captain!" Lars said, stepping towards him. "It is my son, and I want to take him to his room in person."

The Captain noticed the Queens's eyes flick as her their plan were disturbed and broke in. "But your Grace, there is no need to waste your time."

"Captain, I won't be able to rest before I know where my son is!" Prince Lars, whom by now had seemed rather gentle despite his concern about his son's behavior, begun to sound rather demanding and strict at sudden, although there was allot of concern in his voice as well. The Captain begun to feel the situation was getting worse.

From behind the corner, Fredric was about to walk away with the raccoon when he heard voiced approaching from the other end. He froze a moment and feared it was Varian facing anyone, and sharpened his ears.

"Stop this instant, young lady!"

"Stop following me around. I can take care of myself!"

Fredric was relieved one moment when it turned out to be Nigel following the young scullery maid, Karen. At the same time, they were raising their voices, and Fredric feared they would be given away. He found himself trapped with nowhere to escape. And with Ruddiger still under his waistcoat, he was in quite a difficult situation.

It didn't help that young Karen headed right over to him the moment she spotted him, and that Nigel was making such a commotion about trying to stop her.

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"I see no reason why I shouldn't go look for my own son." Lars said as he grew from determinant to slightly angry.

"But I assure you, Sire, we are having everything under control."

"What on earth do you mean by that, Captain?" the prince squinted his brown eyes. Behind him, his younger brother arched an eyebrow and looked from the Captain to hi s brother and then towards the Captain again, but he remained silent.

The Captain found himself unable to answer. He exchanged looks with the Queen a moment, who apparently begun to realize that they were about to lose hold over the situation. But as he thought the silence would give them away, it was broken with voices behind the corner.

"Your Majesty, I am sorry, but..."

"Oh, Nigel... Eh- what is this..."

"Is that Nigel?" Jonas asked.

"Is that uncle?" Annabelle asked. "I wondered where he had gone." she was about to walk past to meet him, but was stopped by Arianna's gentle, but steady grip in her arm.

"M-my dear, there is no need to disturb the King right now."

"Well, I must disagree!" Lars said determinant and walked past the Captain before he could react. "I demand a word with His Majesty this instant!"

Arianna instantly let go of Annabelle and followed when the Captain went after him as he past the corner to face the King. Jonas and Annabelle were left behind, both looking like a pair of questions.

"Everyone turn out to act odd today." Jonas shrugged.

"Hm..." Annabelle replied, insulted for being ignored. "And all because of that little rat!"

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"Let go of me, Nigel. I just have to speak with His Majesty!" Karen said angry.

"You will not bother the King right now, lass!" Nigel said. "We must get you to safety before... Oh dear! Prince Lars!" The advicor's eyes widened and he grew all pale when he spotted the red haired prince.

"Your Majesty? I need a word!"

Fredric became all stiff as he heard Prince Lars behind him, sounding rather demanding. He turned his head around slightly to face him, but kept the rest of his body turned away. But Arianna and the Captain both approached, eyes wide and desperately figuring out a way to prevent a disaster from happening.

At last, Nigel too discover the dreadful fact that Ruddiger was also present, although hidden, and he became all silent as the risk of giving him away.

Fredric stood still, holding his arms to his chest while he did his best to cover the animal he had hiding there. No one said anything, but Arianna, the Captain and Nigel were all on the alert, desperately trying to figure out how to solve the sudden issue that they all feared would occur if the raccoon were discovered. Fredric himself had trouble enough keeping him hidden, but the critter's claws were threatening to piece him in his chest and he hoped it didn't show if he felt a little sting now and then. Not to mention how much his movements tickled.

"Yes Lars, just a moment, I... What was it you wanted to say, my dear?" Fredric said, turning towards the young girl. He figured out that it was better to solve one problem at the time, and turning towards the little girl were at the moment an excuse to avoid Ruddiger to be seen by Lars. Behind him, Jonas and Annabelle followed to figure out what the commotion was about. Annabelle obviously wanted to express her frustration, but Arianna held up a hand to prevent her from making a scene. Jonas watched his brother, who was obviously getting frustrated with being ignored and clenched his teeth.

The girl noticed the company, but thought that after having such a struggle with Nigel, she didn't want to wait with her task. So she made a kneel and a nod and looked up. "I was told to tell his Majesty that Master Phineas is back!"

"Oh really?" the King widened his eyes. "Well, that was good news indeed, yes, very good new. Did you hear that, Arianna? He's back at last."

"Oh yes, indeed..." Arianna said, hoping to help somehow in the situation, but was barely able to hide how tense she had become.

"Yes, Your Majesty! He told me in person..." she gave Nigel a spitting look, but kept speaking to the King. "He returned today and is at this moment settled in the medical apartments."

"Good, good lass. Thank you for telling me this. I need to speak with him as soon as possible." Fredric replied. He knew he was only postponing what could be a vital disaster, but the situation had made him desperate.

"Well, that's gonna take a while, Your Majesty." Karen said.

"Oh? Eh,,," Fredric arched an eyebrow. "And why is this?"

Beside him, Lars sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Well, you see, that was the other thing I was supposed to tell. He won't be available as he's treating a wounded boy in the sick room."

"A wounded boy?"

Arianna and Prince Lars exchanged looks as they both bursted out with the same sentence, Arianna suddenly getting uncomfortable. The King, Nigel and the Captain did the same as they all grew pale.

"Eh... yes. Grandmother and I, we found this boy in the kitchen, and he was hurt and..."

"Hurt?!" Prince Lars' freckled face paled as well and his eyes widened as he clenched his teeth. Within seconds, he was in front of Karen, bent down and grabbed the girl by her slender shoulders, causing her to give a cry. "Tell me, was he short, red haired and had freckles?"

"Eh..." Karen got a bit frightened by his hard grip, but managed to stumble some words. "He... had freckles, but..."

"Daniel...!" Before anyone could react, the Prince ran past them all in such speed that it seemed almost like he flew. They all stood like time had frozen itself and looked after Lars as he disappeared around the corner of the hallway.

"But... not red hair..." Karen managed to finish at last with a sigh.

As they were all put out of the situation, Fredric lost the steady grip he had around the critter that he had hidden inside his waistcoat. His hands loosened up just a bit as he looked after Lars, and Ruddiger seized the chance. With a steady push with his back legs, the raccoon jumped out of his hiding place and were out on the floor before anyone could react, and ran out in the same direction as Lars had gone.


	18. Chapter 17 Varian meet Prince Lars

**Chapter 17: Varian meet Prince Lars **

In another corridor in the castle, Xavier walked with slow steps till he came outside. He approached his wagon again, but he didn't start unloading them at first. Instead, he sat down on the back of it, for a moment resting his arms on his knees. He bed his head down and let out a heavy sigh.

"Hanna, I am sorry. I have failed you! I should have done more..." He looked down at the goggles he had brought with him. One glass had a crack, and one was missing a few shards. He clenched the fist holding the leather reins hard till his hand shivered. "If only his father hadn't been so... Why?" He shook his head. "I just don't get it?"

He sat like this for about ten seconds, then he took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes before clearing his throat. Then he shook his head and rose, giving his back a crack before he walked to the front of the wagon. There, he opened the seat of the front and put the goggles inside and closing it.

He heard the horse neigh, and he walked up to give it a stroke n it's mane. "I'm sorry, I'll be as quick as I can. Promise."

Then he walked back to the pile of wooden boxes in front of him. "To do some work then!" He placed one on top of the other, and lifted it up, clenching his teeth as he did. "For goodness sake, how did you carry all these things, Phineas?" He muttered as he began walking towards the castle again.

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"No, Ruddiger!" Fredric cried out as the animal flew out of his hiding place and disappeared past both Karen and Nigel.

Nigel gave a cry and jumped away in shock and Karen looked after him with wide eyes. Behind them, Annabelle screamed and grabbed a hold on Jonas so hard that the red haired man almost stumbled.

"Somebody get him!" Arianna cried.

"After him!"the Captain said as he grabbed a hold on Nigel and dragged the slender advisor with him, the latter barely able to run properly on his own feet.

Karen looked after them, blinking in confusion. "That was Ruddiger?"

"The beast came back!" Annabelle yelled. "Uncle, you were supposed to get rid of that monster!"

"Oh for goodness sake, he is not a monster!" Fredric replied, on the edge of getting angry.

"But uncle..." she yelled. "That thing..."

"QUIET!"

Fredric's outburst had the same effect as earlier in the garden. Total silence. Annabelle stood horrified, Jonas stiff as a stick, Arianna silent, but on alert, and poor Karen didn't dare to make a move. Fredric hadn't meant to be so loud, but the situation did not become any better with his niece making more commotion than was already made. "Arianna! Take her to her room immediately!"

"But..."

"No my dear, I think it's better that we go now. Come with me." Arianna said as he took her arm gently.

Jonas on the other hand did not follow them. While Arianna were busy trying to calm her niece down, he stayed behind. He noticed young Karen, standing by the wall, holding a hand around her left arm and her head down. The king seemed to have forgotten she was here, as he clenched his teeth together and tried to get his breath under control. He calmly stepped past the King and kneeled down at her level before he spoke gently to her. "Hey little one." he said with gentle voice and looked at her. "Is everything alright?"

Karen blinked to prevent her eyes from running over. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause such..." she broke herself off and sniffed, wiping her nose with the back of her hand.

"Now, this wasn't your fault, hun." he said as he reached for his pocket of his pants, found his handkerchief and started wiping her tears that started running down her cheeks. "You only did what you were told. You can't be blamed for that. I hope you will excuse my fiancé though. She was a little upset because her father had to leave so soon, but she really is a nice person once you get to know her. Here, blow now!" he said as he covered her nose with the handkerchief. A little startled at the unexpected act, Karen nevertheless obeyed as he refused to remove it. Then he lifted her chin up with a finger, making her face him.

"It's not easy being so young and having so much demands hanging over you, right? I used to be the youngest of many where I come from, and... I felt rather alone at times." he sighed. "Not to mention underrated." For a moment he looked like he was lost in thoughts and got a rather painful look on his face and clenched his jaw. Then he seemed to recall where he was and shook his head slightly before he smiled towards her again, noticing the slightly sorry expression she gave him.

"But I know it wasn't you the King got angry at, or what, Sire?"

He turned to look up at Fredric, who had watched them and suddenly felt rather awful on her behalf and gave Jonas a grateful look for taking action. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat. "Now little one, I am sorry you had to witness this. And Jonas is right; this was not at all your fault, and I'm not the least angry at you, I can assure." He knelt down at her level and stroke away the last tear that had escaped the corner of her right eye. But then he became serious again. "But anyway... I need you to tell be about this boy you were talking about. Alright?"

Karen cleared her throat and nodded.

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Lars ran so fast through the corridors that he barely put notice anything else around him. His heart was beating faster than his breath. "Daniel! Daniel!" he kept saying to himself. He didn't actually see anything in front of him and ended up bumping a maid in the shoulder and would have made them both fall hadn't she been so quick to move out of the way.

He gathered himself and looked up at her, panting. "Where... is the sick room?"

"Eh..." Millicent tried to gather herself. "My lord, you have run past it. It's the first pair of double doors. To the left from here."

"Thank you!" Lars said quickly and kept on running, leaving poor Millicent rather confused.

He reached the doors, but ran past them and almost fell backwards when he stopped and turned around. One of the double doors were slightly open and he flung it up ad ran into the reception room. He stopped a moment looking around as he caught his breath. Then, despite his beating heart, he heard voices in the room to his right. He turned to see the next set of double door slightly open, and thought there was a familiar one that made his mind go all blank and made him fling up the double door in a rush as he cried out loud.

"DANIEL?!"

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Fredric listened with wide eyes and disbelief as Karen explained how she had met Varian in the kitchen, struck him down and how he had been taken to the sick room and she had met with Phineas. Jonas almost chuckled at the rather comical story, covering his mouth with one hand to prevent himself from laughing too loud. But he arched an eyebrow when the King suddenly asked her.

"So he... doesn't remember how he got here?"

"No, he don't." Karen shook her head. "Phineas called it... something I don't remember." Karen sighed when she failed to recall the word the physician had used earlier.

"But... did he try to hurt you?"

"No, Your Majesty. Why would he?" Karen didn't seem to understand why this would have been possible.

"No eh... You said he snuck up from behind."

"Eh... When I think back on it, I'm not sure I should call it sneaking actually. I... Truth is, he just appeared behind me, and he did say 'Excuse me.' I..." she sighed heavily. "I guess I kind of overreacted. It's just that... ever since the assault at the Castle, I've been so... sensitive about everything." She blinked away more tears, and Jonas was quick to kneel again, and took her hand an placed the handkerchief in it before he closed it with his own hand.

"Here, keep it. You seem to need it more than I." he said with a warm smile.

"But..." she said shocked. "I couldn't..."

"No no, I insist!" he said as he rose and smiled determinant at her. "Now, maybe it would be an idea if I go and look for my little rascal nephew before he too causes any trouble for someone? I doubt my brother has found him. Maybe you can help me? I don't know my way around, and I could use a guide."

Karen's unhappy face broke up in a smile at this request. "Of course... I mean, I'd gladly help you find him!" She suddenly remembered her manners and knelt again. "Your Grace."

"Is this alright, Your Majesty?" Jonas asked the King.

"Yes yes, by all means. Go and look for Daniel you two, and then I will have a look at this... other boy." Fredric said. And as Karen led the way, blushing, smiling widely and hiding the handkerchief inside her corset, Fredric walked up to Jonas and whispered.

"Listen, young man?"

"Yes, my Lord?" Jonas said looking at him.

"I would actually appreciate if you eh... kept this to yourself for now. I... I will explain later, but now..."

"Now is not the time?" Jonas finished for him and smiled. "I am sure Your Majesty has a good reason for it." He smiled as they walked. "If there is anything I need to know, I am certain Your Majesty will tell when time is right."

Fredric silently let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Thank you, son. Trust me, I will."

"Although, I believe my brother will expect some sort of explanation before me. You see, when it comes to Daniel... Ever since Helga died, he's been rather... I know he's trying, but being a father alone is not always..."

"I understand. I got that impression when he ran off." Fredric replied.

"And when he heard of your Majesty's demand of young Daniel in the future..." he whistled slightly as he rolled his eyes. "He is so frustrated about that, and fears everything will go wrong and that he's to blame. I mean..." he cleared his throat. "I'm not gonna lie, Your Majesty, but Daniel is... a handful." He gave an excusing smile. "In any way."

Fredric only smiled. "Oh, I am quite certain he's not more than we can handle. I dare to bet my beard on that."

"I could..." Jonas said and let a finger stroke one of his sideburns. "If you count this in."

They both chuckled at this, and Fredric felt a bit relieved when he got the feeling he could actually trust this man. He had immediately liked Jonas when meeting him earlier, and the kind way he handled Karen after this accident with Ruddiger gave the impression of an unusually fine young man. Fredric was looking forward to get to know him better; once this issue with Varian was over.

The King didn't see it, but the young red haired man had gotten a rather curious look in his green eyes and seemed for a moment lost in his own thoughts.

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In the sock room, Varian sat and listened with wide, blue eyes at Daniel, who sat opposite to him on the bed and spoke with great enthusiasm, but he broke him off one moment. "Alright, you have to say that again, cause you lost me a moment. Your dad could what...?"

"My dad could have been king of Southern Isles if both my eldest uncles died, but my uncle Caleb has two sons himself, and my other uncle Franz has even more sons of his own, so..."

"DANIEL?!"

Both the boys, and Master Phineas were startled at the sudden outburst of Prince Lars' sudden cry along with the doors slamming in the walls when he came through them. Daniel froze by the sound of his father's voice, and slowly turned to face him. But before he was able to utter a word, as his panting father approached and grabbed hard by his shoulders, kneeling down to his level. He was breathing heavily and could barely gather himself through his coughs. "How... could you just... run away like that? I... I was worried when I heard someone was... hurt."

"That wasn't me, dad. It was him." Daniel said, pointing towards Varian, who was witnessing the whole scenario. Lars quickly gathered himself and cleared his throat and coughed a few times. "Oh."

Feeling like he was the cause of something, Varian only bit his bottom lip and tried to figure out a way he could literally sink into the earth.

"If I may, Sire? I realize the youngest here is your son? Well, I am sorry I kept him here, but if I can explain? Phineas rose from his place on the bed on the other side of them and led Lars gently away from the boys as he whispered.

"You see, this other young man here..." he turned his gaze towards Varian. "He has hurt his head rather badly, and I needed the other boy's help to figure out how bad it really is. He has a rather severe case of amnesia, a loss of memory. He seem to have forgotten over half part the last year, and I have to figure out what other kind of damage he might have. So I have had your son conversing with him so I can analyze his mental state."

"Eh..." Lars was uncertain what to reply. The relief of seeing his son alright after all had put a veil over his worry and now he was almost numb. But as he turned to look at the other boy, who sat there half bandaged and, if he were to describe it simple, a rather dreadful condition, he realized that it had to be something in what the old physician said. He took a breath and nodded. "Alright. I see. But you're sure that my son..."

"He is well, as you can see for yourself, Sir. His only problem is that he needs more vegetables, but that is easily solved." Phineas assured him.

Lars blinked at this. "How did you figure out of that?"

"Simple!" Phineas said. "I saw it on his tongue." When Lars' only reply was more confused blinking, Phineas kept speaking. "But I hope I will be allowed to keep him here a while. We're doing such a progress and it's dreadfully important to see how he reacts. I actually fear for the boy's mental health."

Lars was so thrown of the branch at the moment that he was unaware of what to do. The relief of seeing his son in one piece hadn't sunken in yet, and now he was faced with another sudden problem. But as he looked again at the wounded boy, he got a feeling inside that sort of told him to agree with the physician. There was something about him, he couldn't put his finger at what, but he felt a need to follow the old physician's instructions. So he turned to look at him again, nodding. "I... I suppose it's alright..." Then, realizing what kind of a scene he apparently must have made, he took a breath before he walked back and spoke. Poor Varian shrieked at his approach, but Lars smiled.

"I am sorry, young man. I... didn't mean to make such commotion. I see now that my worries were... nothing to worry about." He looked at Daniel, who bent his head slightly down while peeking up at his father. "I hope my son hasn't been bothering you too much."

"Don't worry, Sire... eh, my lord... " The patient obviously had no idea of what to address him as, and held a hand over his arm. "My Grace?" he said in one last try with a nervous laugh.

Lars smiled and chuckled lightly of the boy's attempt of polite behavior. "I would prefer if you just call me Lars. I can't stand too much formality. And you are?" he asked and reached out his hand.

"My name is Varian... Lars." he replied, reaching out his own hand and let Lars give it a gentle shake for introduction.

The young alchemist on his side didn't know how to feel in present company. His detail fixed eyes did not fail to notice the fine outfit of the newly arrived gentleman. Father and son were dressed quite similar, but the father were a little more decorated than his son. The marine blue jacket with golden collar and stripes on the edge of the sleeves had double set of golden buttons down all the way down to his waist with lines crossing the chest all the way down. A board on both shoulders ended in long fridged epaulettes. His dark grayish blue pants had golden lines running all the way down the leg, and the tall, black boots were so well polished that the golden buckle by the knee seemed unnecessary.

On the other hand, Daniel's father was a tall and steady figure with a rather friendly appearance. His sharp red hair were brushed to his left side, the same hairdo as his son, and had two grey streaks at both sides of his head, and whenever he turned his head around, more thin, gray stripes were visible around his head. His long sideburns went all the way down to his chin with a little length, and ended a little bushy down the cheeks, and a short cut beard ran around his square shaped chin and framed his face. He had brown, quite narrow, but friendly eyes, a straight nose and were slightly freckled on his fair skin. Despite the awareness of rank, his appearance made Varian feel rather comfortable.

The largest difference between father and son were that Daniel had far more freckles than his father and that his front teeth had a huge gap between them. Except this, there were no doubt that they were related.

_I don't look like my father like he does,_ Varian thought to himself, but said nothing. Instead he said: "I can tell you that your son has been all but a bother. He's been telling me about your huge family, and I must say..." he chuckled. "I'm impressed!"

"No no, son." Lars sat down on the bed beside him where Daniel had been sitting a moment earlier. "The impressive part, is to live with all of them."

Varian couldn't help but laugh when Lars rolled his eyes towards the roof and shook his head. "Wow. And you have only uncles in your family." he said to Daniel.

"I have a cousin too, but she's so dumb! She's only thinking about dresses and jewelries and how her nails looks like." Daniel said with a frown.

"Daniel..." Lars said strictly to his son. "Annabelle cares about allot more than that."

"Sure." Now the boy rolled his eyes. "Now all she cares about it Uncle Jonas, cause she's gonna marry him."

"What? Your cousin is marrying your uncle? Is that legal?" Varian blinked, not getting the connection. "I'm sorry, but I fell off the trail long time ago."

Now it was Lars' turn to laugh. "Don't worry, son. Everyone falls off the trail when talking about our family. You see, Daniel's cousin Annabelle is actually adopted into the royal family by my brother-in-law, so she could in theory have married me. He actually asked me of that before I brought my younger brother with me."

"Eewww..." Daniel hid his face in his hands at the thought.

Phineas looked up as there were a voice speaking from the reception room. "Phineas? Where would you like these instruments? I don't dare to leave them anywhere, whatever heck you have here!"

"A moment, my friend!" The Physician replied as he hears Xavier's voice again. "Sire, do you think I can leave you alone with my Patient for one moment and go and check if my friend out there manage to put my luggage right?"

"You can trust me, Master!" Lars said smiling ad watched as the physician left the room.


	19. Chapter 18 Ruddiger is Found

**Chapter 18: Ruddiger is found **

**I apologizes to have waited with this for so long, but reality kept me occupied. But I hope this will be satisfying for those who enjoy. **

Millicent were a little shaken off the branch by the meeting with the nobleman, but tried to ignore it as she still had to find Karen. But she was stricken at sudden once again when she was about to ass the next corner.

The Captain of the grads didn't even notice she was there before he ran past her in a hurry, but she was just in the way for Nigel, the royal advisor, who had been dragged along by the Captain in his arm in the desperate chase of Ruddiger, but who couldn't avoid to run right into her against his very own will.

The Captain was slightly dragged to his side when this happened and was forced to let go on Nigel's hand. He was about to get angry, but went all silent as he realized his mistake. He barely knew how to react

"Oh my... I am so sorry, Miss Millicent! I-I-I didn't see you there..."

Nigel, still a little numb from the second bump of the day, struggled a short moment to get his surroundings clear, but when he saw the frown on Millicent's face, he got sudden strength to get up o his feet faster than a blink.

"Oh, Millicent!" Nigel gave her a hand and helped her up. "Captain, you must watch where you're going! That shouldn't have happened at all and the Captain apologizes, right, Captain?" the advisor said and gave the Captain a glare and an arched eyebrow.

"Eh... I am sorry indeed. That eh... shouldn't have happened. " the Captain cleared his throat. " But I have to ask you...Is there any chance that you have... by any chance seen a... eh- a raccoon passing by?"

The look in her eyes made him regret the question immediately. Nigel covered his eyes with one hand and shook his head in desperation for how horribly wrong this whole day had gone.

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Varian sat amazed and listened to Lars and Daniel telling about all their many brothers. At the moment the father was given a lecture by the son about the correct number of cousins he had.

"No Dad. You're messing it up again." Daniel scowled his father, putting his hands to his hips like it was the father talking to the son. "Uncle Harold is the one who has three sons. Uncle Franz has four sons."

"No, Daniel. You see, Franz's wife has been married once before and had a child before she got married to Uncle Franz, so Perceval is not his son. Only his stepson."

"But Annabelle isn't uncle Walponce's daughter either, but he is her father. You said so! She calls her father all the time, and he calls her his daughter!" the boy said strict with a nod.

"Yes, but there is a difference, son." Lars tried to explain. "Annabelle was his stepdaughter when her mother married him, but he decided to adopt her as his own daughter. He chose to do so. Franz on the other hand hasn't chosen adopted Perceval, and so he is only a stepson."

Daniel stood silent a moment to let it sink in, and then he crossed his arms with a frown. "Well, he should have. Then it would be right!"

"Yes Daniel, it would be right of him to do that. But Uncle Franz... well, he has something to learn." Lars rolled his eyes.

Varian gave a small cough. "You must excuse me, but I think I fell off again."

Daniel's frown faded and broke into laughter, as did his father. "I think we should take a break before I give you another concussion with my family tree." Lars said smiling. "No one managed that in one day."

Varian too couldn't help but laugh. "That... can't be easy. I mean, with so many siblings... How is it possible with so many princes on such a tiny place? Are there even room for them all? Do you all have an island of your own? How many feels left out?" While being unaware of his past actions, Varian was quite back in his normal talkative mood, like he always was whenever he was curious or exited about something. Then he would go on forever before someone stopped him. But Lars didn't seem to be bothered by this.

"Well, that's why we're married aaaall over the continent." he said, almost sarcastically. "They all, at least maybe of them, believe they would be able to get a throne by themselves by marrying a princess abroad. Or they marry for political alliances. My own marriage was for a political alliance with Corona. I was married to King Fredric's cousin."

"Momma said she didn't like to go to that place." Daniel said, and his frown returned.

"But your mom isn't here?" Varian asked.

"Eh... she... passed away some years ago." Lars said quietly and looked away.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I... " Seeing how uncomfortable Lars became when the mother were mentioned, and the look on Daniel's face told Varian that the mother clearly was a sensitive subject. He looked at Daniel, his body getting more and more tense. "If it helps... I lost my mother too."

This made Daniel react, and his frown faded as he faced him. "You did?"

"I am so sorry, son." Lars said and gave him a compassionate look.

Varian felt a wave of embarrassment run over him and he laughed it nervously away. "Hey, don't sweat it. It's many years ago. Truth is, I barely remember her."

"Wow..." Daniel said low, then got all silent.

Varian felt a need to change the conversation and looked at Lars again. "Mind if I ask, your grace... I mean Lars... Lars- What title comes when you're... not the heir? Is there... many titles into that? I have always... wondered about that." he said mostly to change the subject.

"Well, that depends." he smiled dryly. "Sometimes, they get different titles from how well they marry. But to say it shortly, the end up like Earls, Dukes, Counts, my younger brother Harald is a Sea Captain... the list goes on. Me myself, I am a Duke, but I prefer to call myself an historian."

"Oh gosh..." Varian leaned his head backwards in amazement, but forgot his wounded head and hit it on the back of the bed, giving him a painful reminder of his own state as he reached to touch the bandaged wound with both hands. "Owtchoutchoutch..."

Lars got a concerned look on his face and rose towards him. "Easy now, son. Are you alright?"

"Sure..." Varian hissed, but smiled bravely. "I'll live!"

"He got a frying pan in his head, Dad." Daniel explained, proud of what he had just learned. "That's what you make breakfast with."

"Yes Daniel, I eh... know that." his father replied. "But honestly, it looks like you've been through more than a bump in your head, son. Whatever has happened to you?" he said, ignoring the disappointment of his son.

Varian sighed heavily. "No offence, but I'm getting a little tired of saying this..." he said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't remember how I got here. I woke up in the kitchen, or apparently in the royal kitchen..." he flung up his eyes, flicked them around the room a couple of times and raised his head to face Lars. "Please Lars, I need to know. Are we... really in the..." he looked around before meeting his gaze again. "...the royal palace?"

"Eh..." Lars blinked insecurely, but decided in the end to be honest with him as he realized that maybe the boy were more aware of his state than he realized. "Yes, we are!"

"Seriously! Oh no... This is not good. This can't be good!" Varian's huge blue eyes became almost twice its size as he bit his teeth together and raised his hands to his head, grabbing his hair with both hands, pulling it a little as he got worried. "I must reeeally have screwed it up this time! Or maybe... No! that can't be it. It's too unlikely, and we're too far away, and... Can it possibly be that I've blown up something at the Castle? No, how can I have done that? Whatever wuld I DO by the Castle? Unless it was the science expo, but that's not untill..."

"Varian..., Varian listen..." Lars said and touched his shoulder, trying to push him down on the bed again or simply get a connection with him. "Maybe you should lay down a bit. You..."

"No, I can't!" Varian said, sitting up again and sliding his legs do the floor. "I-I-I have to go! I can't stay here!"

"But you promised the doctor to stay right there!" Daniel said determinant, and pointed to the bed as strictly as he could.

"I know, but I can't. My dad's gonnaaaahh..." he rose up in such a hurry that he got dizzy, and for the second time in the day, he lost touch with the world around him as everything, once again, went black.

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"Look, there he is!"

Both men stopped to look around. "Daniel?" Jonas said.

"Where?" The King also woke up from his deep thoughts and looked around.

"No, not him. Ruddiger!" Karen said and kneeled down. "He's under there!"

Both men followed her example and suddenly they realized what she meant. Underneath a bench below the windows, they could spot the shape of something dark moving in the shadows with different palettes. Karen carefully crawled forwards as she spoke with soft voice. "Here, sweetie. It's okay, you don't have to be afraid."

Fredric kneeled down on his knees, relieved that they had found him before the Captain and Nigel. "Oh, Ruddiger, I'm sorry I..."

"Wait. I think maybe she'll have a better chance." Jonas stopped him by kneeling to his level and holding out a hand in front of him. "A cute little girl isn't as scary as two grown men. I know what I would have preferred." he smirked and let Karen go to action.

"Come on, there's nothing to be afraid of." Karen kept on as she carefully laid down on the floor and reached out a hand for him to sniff. The critter wasn't actually in the mood for more strangers and wanted to stay hidden, but then his huge black nose caught the cent of something interesting and he carefully stretched out his head and sniffed her hand.

"That's it. Come on now..." she almost sang to him. "Come now..."

Ruddiger were all of a sudden awfully curious at her arm and carefully peeked out from his hiding place and sniffed her upper arm and then her shoulder. Then at last, he was so far out that she dared to put her other hand on him, giving him a gentle pat on his back.

"Now that's a good critter. Very nice critter, Ruddiger. You're so good, so good."

The sound of his name made Ruddiger somehow certain on this strange being, and when Karen all of a sudden lifted him up, he didn't mind, only kept sniffing on her neck, making her giggle as his whiskers tickled her.

"My word, lass. How did you...? the King asked confused as he rose up at last. "

"He probably recognizes the scent of his master." she said laughing. "I don't think he would have come to me otherwise."

"And you have that on you?" Fredric asked.

"Well, grandma and I had to carry him all the way to the sick rooms, so touching him wasn't to avoid. And.." she wrinkled her nose. "One could easily recognize someone who hasn't had a bath for a while."

Fredric's lips became a thin line a moment. "True!"

"So maybe now we should take you there as well?" she said and gave him a scratch behind his ear, something he seemed to enjoy. "I'm certain Varian would be happy to see you."

"Ehm..." Fredric said. "Why don't you let me do this, since I'm heading that way? After all, you and Jonas still have to find Prince Daniel."

"Eh... perhaps. But..." Karen hesitated and gave him an excusing and concerned look. "Then His Majesty gotta be prepared."

"Oh?" Fredric arched an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

"Cause..." Karen rolled her eyes and made a face. "He seems like a nice guy, but right now he both smells and looks like he's been living in garbage for at least at least a week." She wrinkled her nose again. "I think maybe that he'll be a little ashamed of himself in... His Majesty's presence."

Fredroc had almost forgotten how poorly the boy had appeared, not to mention smelling after a long time in the dungeons without caring for himself, but said: "I... see what you mean, lass. But it's important that I get so speak to him anyhow. And..."

He stopped when he heard a loud female voice coming from the next corner, yelling something they didn't quite catch, but Karen froze like a statue, still with the critter in her arms.

"Oh no... Auntie!"

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When Varian woke up again, he needed a moment to figure out where he were again. Then he heard a voice speak to him as in far away.

"...ari...arian... Varian, speak to me... are you alright? Varian?"

Hadn't Lars been there to grab him when he blacked out, Varian would have fallen right on the floor. The red haired prince had gently lifted him up and placed him on the bed again. Daniel, who had gotten a little shaken by the sudden incidence, stood all still and didn't say or do anything.

"Easy now, son. You mustn't excaudate yourself." After giving him a few gentle slaps on his cheeks, he finally got his attention again, blurry eyed and unfocused. "Listen lad, if your promise to stay calm here, I will make sure that your father will be informed of where you are. I'll tell the King, and he'll make sure to send for him. Alright?"

"Eh... eh..." Varian swallowed as his dry throat prevented him from responding at once. "Okay... fine. But..." The more he woke up, the more did he realize his situation and looked at Lars. "Lars, wait! I... you don't exactly have to... you know... let the King see me like this, do you? I..." He looked down at himself. "I don't actually look representable." As a reflex, he tried to cover his upper body with his hands, one gloved and one not.

Lars couldn't help but chuckle as he rose. "I'll make sure he don't."

"Phew.." Varian let out a sigh of relief as he managed to lay down on the bed again, a bit more relaxed than before.

Lars said and prepared to leave the bed. "And you, Daniel, stay here, and make sure he remains in bed, ok? Tell him about uncle Jonas in the meantime. I don't think we have mentioned him yet?"

"Right, we haven't!" the boy nodded, glad to finally be noticed.

"Good!" Lars said to his son and then smiled calmly to Varian. "Now, what's your father's name, and where can I find him?"

Varian cleared his throat. "His name is Quirin." he replied at last. "He is the leader in my village in... Old Corona."

"Well, that would be easy enough." Lars begun walking towards the door when he suddenly stopped and turned back with an arched eyebrow and a confused look in his brown eyes. "Old Corona?" Lars gave the boy a surprised look. "But no one is living there now. We traveled past it when we arrived, and that place is completely abandoned."

"WHAT?!" Varian sat up again in a rush. "How can that be?" then he started panting and his eyes once again threatened to pop out of his head. "Oh no, nononono! What's happened? Why...? This is terrible! Not now, right before winter?"

"But it's not that bad, lad. Winter is miles away, and... Oh dear..." Lars covered his mouth with a hand as he recalled the physician's words about the boy's state and hurried back to grab a hold on Varian's shoulders to keep him calm when he was about to climb out of the bed again. "Listen son, don't worry..."

"What is going on? Why am I here, and where's... My dad... DAD!" Varian started hyperventilating as he got a rather panicked look on his face. "Dad! He needs me, I just know it! I-I-I gotta go to him, I gotta..."

"Now, calm down, son. I'm certain your father is doing alright." Lars said as calming as he could, but Varian had begun panicking.

"But where is he?" he cried out. "Where is he?"


	20. Chapter 19 Varian Panicking

**Chapter 19: Varian panicking **

"What was he doing with that creature? It was his fault that father had to leave. Him and that hopeless cousin of mine. I hate him! I hate them both! This has most definitely been the worst day of my life in a long time!"

Arianna was certain Annabelle's voice could be heard far through the corridors, and hoped no one would pass the room for a while. All the way, her niece had been complaining about being scowled at for no reason, and that this was a horrible way of treating your closest family.

The Queen had led her to her room, and had quickly decided that Violet's choice of suite had been perfect. It was one of the biggest, and had a large salon, a toilet by itself and a huge bedroom, with a dressing room included. Her luggage had been placed there, but not unpacked yet. The white painted salon with pale blue pillows, and light lilac wall paintings on white panel and lovely pale blue curtains gave a peaceful atmosphere. The bedroom were of a similar design, with a huge canopy bed with the same curtains as the windows, only with pattern, and the bed had more lovely pillows than necessary.

Right now, Annabelle had placed herself on the bed, half lying in the huge pile of pillows. Arianna sat beside her and tried to calm her down by stroking her hand in hers. "Now now, I'm certain they'll find him soon. You don't have to worry about him."

"Worry? About that little beast? I hope uncle locks him up, he should be kept in a leach."

"I am... certain his father will speak to him once he finds him."

Annabelle gave a short 'Hmph' before looking at her. "Believe me when I say it, auntie, it's hopeless to speak to him. When Helga was alive, she spoiled him, and uncle has no control over him at all. And father let's him do whatever he wants. And he lets me suffer with him. I mean it, he's a little demon!"

"Oh believe me; I have seen worse..." Arianna gave a chucked chuckle when recalling Varian during lunch, but her own laughter died on her tongue when thinking of the alchemist himself. "But... try not to think about this now. It's good to have you back here at last, and we'll make sure to do whatever it takes to make you feel at home. I'll see to that you get whatever you need."

"Good!" she said and sounded all worn out. "What about a lady-in-waiting? "

"We have made sure one of the maids will attend to you, so you don't have to worry about that."

The look she sent her could remind of one of those you send someone who has just blurted out the most idiotic thing in the world. "A maid? Auntie, are you serious,?"

"Or... I could lend you my own Friedborg, if you prefer that. I'm certain that if my daughter were here, she would gladly have let you borrow Cassandra, but..."

"Aaah, that horrible being! I prefer a migraine over her!" Annabelle moaned and leaned back on the pillows, closing her eyes and led her hand to her forehead. "Alright, I'll give that maid of yours a try."

"Eh... good..." Arianna blinked of her reaction at the Captain's daughter. "But dear..." she placed herself closer to her. "Don't tell me you're still holding a grudge on Cassandra? I mean, it was such a long time ago, and it was just an accident."

"It was most certainly NOT an accident!" Annabelle snarled and rose from the pillows, giving her a glare that reminded of Varian when he had been to lunch and threw that turkey slice. "She did that on pure purpose. She humiliated me for fun! Why did you have to remind me of that? Like this day wasn't ruined enough..."

"I'm sorry, dear. I had no idea it still bothered you. But you can't expect us to be ready with everything on such short notice! Remember, we didn't expect you all to arrive today. So I don't understand why you didn't bring any on your own?"

"How can I bring with me any when they quit on short notice?" She laid back again, this time on her side, looking out through the window. "Can you believe it? They're lucky to raise to the highest level of a job a female servant can get, to one of the noble ones, and then they throw their opportunity away and just quit? Like it was me that wasn't good enough for them?! It happens all the time!" She hit her fist into the pillow and sobbed. "Why can't things go my way for once?"

Arianna didn't know what to do at the moment and found herself watching as the temperamental girl started crying into the pillow. She felt a little lost and not the least shocked over how difficult her niece had grown up to be. It was as far from Rapunzel as it could possibly appear. The kind and friendly Rapunzel, who were so eager to make people like her, would have done absolutely everything to please her cousin. She would even had gone as far as posing as a lady-in-waiting herself if it could have made her feel better.

But in the end, Arianna had a feeling that even her sweet lovable daughter would have enough and change her nature to confront her. Sooner or later, one just had enough, like she herself had with her very own sister that last birthday of hers. Nothing or no one could make Arianna loose her normally calm and controlled self like Willow did. Despite her desperate attempt to make the best out of it, she had given in to her wounded emotions and gotten angry, causing the whole Kingdom to get endangered.

Just like Varian had!

The thought slipped into her mind so quickly that Arianna felt how her heart skipped a beat. He just seemed to stick on her mind, and she couldn't help but coming back to him either. He was a puzzle that trigged one's mind, but weren't able to solve, but somehow you had to keep trying.

According to Rapunzel, the Varian that had kidnapped her had been far from the Varian she had first met about half a year ago when she had come to him for help with her hair. She had described him as someone who would go miles and miles for the satisfaction of others and not asking for anything in return but that. A more selfish person would have asked for an expensive price for such service, but Varian has simply just thrown his service over them. That a person could change so...

The sudden thought of the alchemist made her worried again, and recalled that they had yet to find Daniel. She knew it was important to distract Annabelle, but her concern of how things were going with the search of the boys made her anxious.

Although the crying girl in the bed made it horribly difficult to do anything at the moment. All Arianna could do was to sit and pray that she managed to cry herself into sleep.

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In the reception room, Phineas had begun to help his friend place his luggage, but when the lid fell off one of them, Xavier had become curious on what it was there, so the physician had taken the liberty of showing it to him.

"It's remarkable! How did you even come across that?"

"Chances goes one's way of you're paying attention." the physician replied.

"Indeed..." the blacksmith said. "But what is it for?"

Before Phineas was able to reply, they heard Varian's voice in the sick room. When they heard him cry 'DAD!' rather loudly, the physician put the instrument down in the box again, and they both stormed through the door to see what the commotion was about.

As soon as they came into the room, they saw Varian all panicked and Lars desperately trying to hold him down. He heard the doors get up and turned to face them, looking worried.

"I'm sorry, I... I forgot myself." he said excusing and shameful.

"Alright son, why all this noise?" Phineas said determinant, but tried not to sound angry.

"I wanna know that's going on!" Varian said as he tried to climb over Lars's shoulders. "My dad! My dad, I gotta go see him!"

Xavier saw the situation and ran up on the other side of the bed, where he grabbed the teen with a steady grip by both upper arms. "Now now, laddie. You won't help your daddy by shaking up yourself like this!"

"No, let go of me, please!"

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The King, Jonas and Karen with Ruddiger on her shoulders stood and listened to Millicent shouting from war away, lashing out at someone. From the voices they heard it seemed it was the Captain and Nigel, somehow making an attempt of defending themselves verbally, to no use.

"Everyone seems to be at eachother today." Jonas said curious.

"Oh, she sounds angry..." Karen whispered anxious. "She's probably looking for me." She felt a hand on her shoulder at sudden, and looked up at Jonas, who were smiling at her.

"Then maybe it would be an idea to hide out a moment." He looked around and found a pair of double doors half open. "There might be good!"

"That's the medic's apartment!" Fredric said, all of a sudden feeling his chest tighten up inside.

"Well, then we get to deliver this guy off, and hide a moment at the same time." Jonas declared and pushed Karen inside into the reception room. "It doesn't sound like we wanna meet her right now."

"Eh... agreed, indeed." Fredric said and hurried after them. Meeting an angry servant girl like this wasn't fitting right now, especially not with Ruddiger along. Besides, he himself had reached his destination anyhow. Well inside, Jonas closed the door after them right before they heard them all three pass the corner, Millicent leading on.

"I see no reason why a nasty critter should be more important than Karen at this moment!"

Jonas chuckled. "She sounds even worse than Annabelle."

Karen too, chuckled. "And she had been appointed to tend to her."

Jonas was about to laugh back when all of a sudden they heard other voices, from other hold. From the sick room, several voices spoke loudly over eachother. One squeaking voice crying loudly and other male voices sounding rather desperate as well. Jonas immediately recognized a pair of them and arched an eyebrow.

"Sounds like my brother has found Daniel after all."

The King didn't reply, as another familiar voice made him freeze with his ice blue eyes wide open. "Varian..." he whispered to himself.

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"You don't understand! I've got to go!" Varian's squeaky voice were almost shaking as he cried out.

"Don't be ridiculous, laddy. You are in no shape to go anywhere!" Xavier would have had no trouble keeping the skinny body under control hadn't he been kicking so wildly, and he wondered to himself where the lanky boy got his strength from.

"Varian, you're supposed to..." Daniel begun, but was interrupted by his father, who were busy trying to hold Varian's right side in bed while trying to get his right leg down.

"Stay out of this, Daniel!" Then he turned back to the sprawling teenager. "Varian, you mustn't wind yourself up like this! It's not good for you."

"Lars, you have to understand. Please please, he needs me. I know he does!" Varian's voice were at the edge of crying now and he ended up whimpering the last words. "Dad... Daddy..."

"If you can hold him, I will find something to calm him down." Phineas said. " I think I have some poppy milk somewhere in my laboratory..."

"Whatever you have, hurry, before he hurts himself!" Lars said struggling. "And I thought my son were a challenge..."

Phineas were already on his way towards the door, but as he opened them both wide, he stopped himself and gasped. "Oh... Your Majesty?!"

The sudden mentioning of His Majesty put a stuck in both the others. Xavier froze and hesitated to look up, like he had been caught red handed. Lars slightly turned around, finding both his Majesty and his brother, along with the maid from earlier, holding the raccoon in her arms. The latter immediately caught the sight of his boy, and struggled himself free from Karen's grip, and ran towards him.

Varian quickly noticed that the grown up's grip on him loosened, and he would have tried to wriggle himself free hadn't the critter jumped right up on his belly. If Varian weren't confused already, he definitely got now, when his trusty furry companion nudged itself to his chest and crooned of delight and relief and couldn't express his happiness enough.

"Ruddiger?" Varian got his arms free and lifted him up so he stared right at him. "What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here!"

The critter just stared at him with a questioning look, happy to see him, but confused at his sudden change of behavior.

"So he was yours!" Daniel said out loud and pointed at Ruddiger. "I knew it!"

"Yes, but..." Varian didn't get time to respond properly when the sound of the deep, loud and demanding voice cut through the room with grand force.

"Will somebody tell me what is going on here?!"

Varian turned around to face what he least expected; His Majesty the King himself, only about fifteen feet away from himself. The appearance of the ruler made Varian feel like he wanted himself far away, not only because the King looked furious, but because he was far too well aware of the fact that he was far from proper dressed to face nobility itself. He had a slight hope he would not discover him in the bungle of men around him trying to hold him down, but King Fredric's gaze fell for some reason directly on him, and the look on his face were difficult to read. Either way, Varian felt he became terrified.

Phineas folded his hands into the sleeves of his robe before giving a deep quick bow. "My King, if I can just explain..."

"Everyone; out!"

Lars rose from his position and stood up straight to face him. "King Fredric, I must..."

"OUT NOW!"

The sudden outburst made them all widen their eyes and let their mouths fall open in shock of his outrageous behavior.

"Daniel, come here! Now!"

Poor Daniel had lost his sassy confidence and got frightened by the sudden changed atmosphere. He was normally used to object with a frown, but now he didn't dare to oppose in any way. But as his father gently took a hold of his shoulder, the boy turned back to face Varian one last time. Young brown eyes met young blue eyes, both equally confused and one a bit more frightened than the other, before the young prince was led out of the sick room.

Xavier, loyal to his ruler as he was, didn't put up any resistance, but as he followed his friend the physician out the door, he cast a look at Varian and gave him an encouraging smile before he closed the door behind him.

"And you, boy!" he pointed at Varian, who immediately curled himself up as close to the back of the bed as he could, his huge eyes threatening to pop out of his head as he stared at the King. "You're not moving one inch from that spot, do you hear me?!"

The young teen froze and all he could do was to nod quickly while he clenched his teeth with a frightened look on his face. Ruddiger too got frightened by the King's loud voice and hid in his master's arms.

Then the doors were closed.

Varian was left alone in the room, except from the critter in his arms. He heard Lars yell, and the King as well, but the door was closed so he didn't hear what they said as they were all speaking in eachother's mouths. Besides, his heart was beating so loud that he failed to hear anything. After taking a few deep breaths, that ended up as sniffles as he was in the edge of bursting into tears, he tried to gather himself, but found himself more frightened than he had been before. Ruddiger noticed his fear and shaking body and reached up to touch his face with both paws to stroke his cheeks as if to calm him down and say 'there there, it's gonna be alright', like he had done when the guards let them away after he was arrested, a memory that was gone from his master's mind for the moment.

Nevertheless, Varian became aware of him again, and clinched the raccoon tighter to his body as he flicked his eyes at his surroundings. "Oh Ruddiger..." he said leaning back in the bed. "I don't know what's going on here, but..." he wiped his nose with the hand still gloved. "I have a feeling I've reeeally done it this time!"

**I must confess, I found this information after I finished writing this part, but I feel a need to share it so bear over with me. I have already mentioned this on my tumbler page, but the Tangle Series has gotten the impression of the Lady-in-waiting completely wrong. I have been doing some research on the title, and did I get myself a surprise. **

**A lady-in-waiting were not like a personal maid that did your laundry, or other's laundry or household duties like cleaning and preparing guestrooms Cassandra is seen doing in both 'Great Expotations' and 'Challange of the Brave'. A lady-in-waiting were actually a companion and a friend for the Princess/Queen/Lady that helped you pick out today's outfit, kept track on the day's activities, almost like a personal secretary, and joined the Princess, or the lady, in whatever activities. They were to follow the Princess/Queen/Lady wherever she went, and how in earth could they expect them to do laundry and clean the Castle while during this? And they were actually from noble families, picked out personally by the Princess, Queen or the male relative/husband of this one. They weren't allowed marriage unless the Princess/Queen/Lady agreed. But they were generally higher ranked than Cassandra appears to be. So this is it, my share of knowledge. So what Cassandra said in season 3 'Beginnings' that there were one chance in a million that a Princess and a lady-in-waiting would become friends were wrong, because a lady-in-waiting were supposed to be a friend for her. They were her closest confidant. **

**I suspect that the Disney-universe has given the ladies-in-waiting such duties because they wanted Cassandra to feel even more miserable than she would have been else. Just a theory, but it makes sense. The whole series is a buildup to her frustration, so I take it they haven't gone all historically correct. But then again, it's just fiction. **


	21. Chapter 20 Varian's state

**Chapter 20: Varian's state**

**Thank you to those who keep following so far. And special thanks to mycove and singertobe, who's own stories I have been following and enjoyed enormously as well. Therefore, critics from you both means allot to me. I hope you will keep following my story as I have been following yours. And thank you to you others who follow and make my day. **

**I forgot to mention that the brothers of Hans and Lars that I referred to in the last chapter are half based on the series Once Upon A Time, where Hans has two brothers named, Franz and Jürgen. I took the liberty of using the name Franz, while I made up Harold myself, along with the number of sons to each of them. The book A Frozen Heart only mentions Caleb's children, and not much else other than the others might have children. I might come back to this later. Now back to the situation in the Castle. **

"Your Majesty, I demand an explanation!" Prince Lars yelled at Fredric. "What is the meaning of this? Yelling to a wounded boy like that! Are you not ashamed of yourself?"

"Jonas, take Daniel out of here and to his room this instant!" King Fredric said without looking at either of them.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Jonas said shortly before he grabbed a hold on young Daniel, leading him towards the double doors.

"But I don't wanna go to my room!" the young boy moaned. "I wanna go back to Varian!"

"You can talk with your new friend later!" Jonas said as he lifted him up and opened the door to leave with him. "Right now he needs some rest! And so do you!" They heard him object loudly after Jonas closed the door, but his cried soon faded in the hallway.

Lars had been a bit shocked by the sudden order, but now he went from angry to furious. "I beg your pardon, how DARE Your Majesty give my brother orders on my behalf like that? And when it comes to my son, I give the orders!"

"I know this sounds rather odd in your eyes, Lars..." Fredric begun, a little calmer this time, but Lars cut him off.

"It is PRINCE Lars, if I must be so bold!" The red haired man walked straight up to him, speaking with his face up to Fredric's. "Mark my words, I am by nature a peaceful man. But there are certain times where even I will go by my father's demand of a loud voice. And that time has come now!"

"You don't know what you're dealing with here. "Fredric tried to explain as steady and serious as he could. "Believe me when I say I am doing it for the safety of everyone."

"Safety?" he said shocked. "And what of Varian's safety? You frightened that poor lad, and he wasn't actually calm when it happened."

"I guarantee, I have him in mind as well."

"Well, it did not at all sound like that a moment ago."

"Lar... Prince Lars, this isn't at all your business. I must ask you to stay out of the matter with Varian!" Fredric was raising his voice a little, but tried to keep himself a little lower than Lars so he wouldn't be heard by the boy in the next room.

"I will most certainly not stay out of this. I have a son myself, and I know how I would have felt it if he was in the condition Varian is in now. I demand at least that you allow his father to know where he is! He must be worrying sick, as the boy is now..."

"I cannot do that! As much as I want to, I cannot follow that request!" Fredric said, feeling how frustration build itself up the more they kept this argument going.

Lars' face was about to turn as red as his hair as he looked at him with narrow eyes. "What? The boy's father musts know he's here!"

"There is absolutely NO WAY... of contacting Varian's father in any single way!" Fredric said, feeling he was about to lose his temper and he had to breath slowly in order to remain calm.

"Really?! " Lars frowned back at him. "And why is that?"

Fredric made a small break to gather himself, drew his breath... and dropped the bomb. "Because there is a chance... Varian's father might be dead!"

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"I don't care about that ugly creature of yours, I have my own worries to think about! So stay out of my way, or you'll sorely regret it!" Millicent yelled as she slammed a door in the faces of the Captain and Nigel, who stood for a moment like a pair of questions.

"Well, that went rather well." the Captain said, relieved over the sudden silence.

"Bless me!" Nigel said. "Although I bet her shouting has frightened the critter off."

"I can't say I blame him." the Captain said. He was about to say something more when a sudden sound made them both stand and listen. They turned around to see Jonas approach behind the corner with a dissatisfied, sprawling young red haired boy behind him. The two men were rather disturbed by the boy's loud, violent cries.

"I don't wanna go to bed! Let go of me!" The young boy were building himself up into a tantrum, and raised his voice.

"Don't argue now. You've caused enough trouble already. Why didn't you stay with Annabelle like you..." Jonas said, but stopped when he spotted the two men. "Oh? Gentlemen?" he smiled and nodded, still holding Daniel's hand hard in his, trying his best to ignore the boy's other fist hitting him violently.

"I hate you!" Daniel cried.

"Ah, I see you have found the young... Prince..." the Captain tried to sound normal, but the sight of Daniel sprawling himself like a little peasant rascal disturbed him a bit. He hadn't been able to have a look at the young boy as well as the grownups, but this wasn't exactly like what he expected.

"We found him alright." Jonas replied, but had to halfway pay attention to Daniel and kept turning his head back and forth from one to the other.

"I wonder... was it him at the sick room, Sir-eh... Jonas?" Nigel asked, recalling Jonas' earlier request of using just his name.

"He was in the sick room, but-AH..." Jonas lost his balance and fell on his knees when Daniel tried to pull himself free from his grip, and almost made it, but as Jonas grabbed a hold on the boy's belt. "Oh no, you don't!" he said as he pulled him back, making the boy cry out our when he landed on his behind. Then he got up in a hurry and grabbed him by his waist.

"I hope you'll excuse me, gentlemen... as I have to take this one to his room." Jonas said as he tried to get a better grip around the furious boy and lift him up, like a sack of flour. It didn't look like some way to treat a young royalty, but then again, the boy didn't actually act like a royalty.

"But Sir, the other..." the Captain begun.

"Sorry... little busy here!" Jonas said as he tried not to get himself kicked.

"I hate you! I hate you more than my dad!"

The Captain and the royal advisor was left alone again as they pondered over this odd incidence and both a little shaken.

"And I thought Varian was a handful..." the Captain mumbled while they watched them disappear, although still hearing them.

"You see what I mean?" Nigel said. "There were certain likenesses. I am not certain it would be a good idea to have him near Her Majesty."

"I doubt it would be an idea to have him near anyone..." the Captain replied. "But he is nevertheless a Prince and... None of our business right now." the Captain concluded and shook his head.

"What I would like to know is..." Nigel asked with a sudden concern. "If it was him in the sickroom, where is Varian now?"

"We will have to figure out of that later. Now we have to find the raccoon before he gets away. Hopefully, we'll run into one of them sooner or later."

"That's... one way of saying it." Nigel said and followed him meekly.

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The reception room fell quiet as Lars' furious face turned to shock and went from red to pale, showing off the freckles on his face more than ever.

"I don't know how much you have heard of Corona's state since you came home from Southern Isles Lars, but I will make a long story short." Fredric said and drew his breath. "As you've probably seen, we have had a situation with black rocks growing all over the Kingdom, causing disturbance and fear. In the middle of all this, a young boy, managed single handed to kidnap and almost kill my wife, the Queen, and at the same time launch an attack at the Kingdom itself. That boy..." Fredric paused a moment. "Is the very same boy as you have been dealing with now in there."

Lars' freckled face went pale and his mouth fell open. For a moment it looked like he stopped breathing, because after a while he begun panting in panic, but it was difficult to tell. After a moment gathering himself, he spoke.

"Are you telling me that the boy... Varian...?" he turned back to look at the door, and then slowly turned back to face the King. "The rumors are true? The boy is... the so called... 'Wizard' they're talking about?"

"He is absolutely NO wizard of ANY kind!" Fredric said determinant and shook his head. "He is simply an over gifted young man; a scientist he calls himself, and it was science and so called alchemy he used to perform his treason toward the Kingdom."

Lars had to lean towards the wall while he listened to the King speaking. The room remained silent until he spoke at last. "I just can't believe... It can't be..."

"I know it might be too incredible to understand, but I fear it is the truth."

It looked like the words got stuck on Lars' tongue, but after clearing his throat, he managed to utter himself again. "Why...? Why did he do such... things? He's just a child..."

Fredric closed his eyes when he spoke again. "For quite a while, we have tried to figure out how to deal with this issue. After all, the boy is too young to be sentenced to death like any grown man would have during similar accusations. At the same time..." Fredric hesitated a moment, but since he was so far into the tale, he decided to be honest, hoping his cousin's brother in law would understand. "There has been done... great injustice towards him as well."

Lars' confused gaze met his.

"He has most likely witnessed what we fear might be... his father's death. His father Quirin, who also happens to be an old friend of mine, has been captured in some kind of amber-like substance that grew out of these black rocks, and we have yet to figure out if he has survived this process. There is not to deny that this event alone must have caused some... great traumas and grief to the lad, and it has most likely been too much to handle all by himself, young as he is."

Fredric took a break to let it sink in to the red haired prince. Then he drew his breath again, and continued.

"At the same time, he was... wrongly accused for an earlier attempt of attack that he never actually committed, towards my daughter. He knew there was a connection between the rocks and... my daughter's magical hair. He came and begged her for help in a situation where she was completely unable to offer any assistance to him. In this process, a misunderstanding where caused, and it seemed like he made an attempt to attack her. Because these misunderstandings never were fully cleared out, everyone in Corona turned their back on him when he asked for help. In an attempt to free his father, he found himself so desperate that at he went as far as tricking Princess Rapunzel, whom had actually been a friend he felt gravely betrayed from, to steal the remains of the golden flower that was once used to rescue both her and her mother many years ago, in hope that it would free him from his captivity. And when this didn't work, he forced Rapunzel to come to him by kidnapping the Queen. And at this point, he had developed such fury towards all of them whom let him down that he... went on attacking the Kingdom with a horde of automatons he had built by himself."

Fredric made another pause, one he needed himself to gather up the courage to say the next part of the story.

"And... when this last attempt of trying to free his father didn't work... he went out with a self controlled automaton and lashed his anger out on us all and grabbed a hold on both my wife... and the Captain's daughter Cassandra. He..." Fredric made yet another pause to draw his breath, mostly to gather himself before he said the last sentence. "This action could have killed them both hadn't Rapunzel stopped him in time. And right after... Varian was arrested."

During the tale, Lars looked like he was going to faint, and at some point of Fredric's speech, he walked past him, and sat down on the bench near the door. There, he rested his elbows on his knees, letting his head hang down while he listened. Fredric remained silent a while to let it all sink in to the red haired Prince.

After what seemed like an eternity of awkward silence, Fredric heard another voice interfere.

"If I may, Sire..."

Fredric turned to face the elder physician.

"Phineas, I am aware that you probably didn't know this about your... patient. But..."

"In the beginning I confess, I had no idea of who the boy was. But I choose to be honest, Sire. I was told who he were during this last hour."

Fredric turned towards him, getting confused and shocked and frowning his brows at him. "Then I believe you have some explaining to do."

"I know, but first..."

"I did not expect this from you of all people, Phineas. Why did you keep something like this a secret? We have been worried sick of what he would..."

"SIRE!" the sudden raise in the physician's voice made Fredric stop in shock. "How does His Majesty expect me to explain myself if I keep getting interrupted all the time? Is this how you plan to perform the trial against this lad? In that case, Your Majesty will keep on injustice towards him, and I believe all hope is out for him!"

The sudden harshness in the voice of the normally calm and steady physician made the King stunned, but after his words sank in, he sighed and looked at him. "I am sorry, Master. Please continue, I will not interfere."

The physician nodded and drew his breath silently. "Very well. After examinations of the young man, I have found he has a very serious case of amnesia. From what I have figured out, he has lost over six months if his memory. And from what I have been informed by my good friend Xavier, while he was so kind to give me a lift when I reached Old Corona..." Phineas turned towards Xavier, who made a polite, but simple nod when the King turned towards him. "I were able to discover something vital with his memory."

Fredric recognized the old blacksmith after seeing him handling the royal horses, but had failed to actually notice his presence before now, and got curious on what he was doing there. But he was too concerned with Varian to worry about old Xavier, and turned his attention to Phineas again. "And... this was..."

"His previous actions... his loss and experience during the time where he... apparently committed his crimes..." the physician looked the King directly into his eyes. "He most likely doesn't recall any of them!"


	22. Chapter 21 Varian and Karen

**Chapter 21: Varian and Karen**

While the King and the other grownups were having their conversation in the reception room, Varian sat confused and frightened on the bed, with Ruddiger tightly to his chest as he tried to figure out of his out of place and most awkward situation. He shivered and rubbed his ungloved hand under his nose.

"What are we gonna do, Ruddiger?" The teen bit his bottom lip nervously, trying to prevent it from shaking.

The critter just looked at him, his little brown eyes and chubby face eyeing him up and down. His master seemed more like his old self now, but he was rather upset for the moment, and the King's harsh command had frightened the critter as well.

"His Majesty looked pretty mad, and... " he swallowed. "For some reason, it seemed like it was because of me. I would know if it was my dad, but... What have I done to the King?"

"I don't think the King was mad at you at all, Varian."

The sound of the soft, young voice woke him up and he turned to face Karen.

"Are you still... here...?" The boy blushed at the embarrassing fact that the girl had seen him this vulnerable. He lifted up his hands to his cheeks and wished he could sink into the sheets. Then he turned to her again. "You... You shouldn't be here. His Majesty told you all to..."

"I know, but... " she walked over to him and sat on the end of the bed, facing him. "I couldn't just leave like you that. I feel a little responsible for you being here, and I kind of feel it would be my fault if you got any worse. Besides..." she shrugged while giving a short look at the door. "I think they forgot about me."

"Karen, I..." Varian felt a bit overwhelmed by this concern and felt tears well up again, but he was quick to blink them away and cleared his throat. "I... I don't know what to say... I-I-I still feel like it was my fault. I mean, I-I was the one who scared you, and it was because of that that that..." he cursed himself for stumbling so much, but Karen interrupted him before he could finish by holding up a hand and smiled gently at him, causing him to blush even more and go all silent, something that was unusual for him. But then again, being with girls at his own age were rather unusual for him.

_If I blush more now, Ruddiger is gonna take me for an apple_, he thought for himself.

"But I can say this for certain; His Majesty isn't angry at you. On the contrary, he was very worried about you. At least that's what he gave the impression of to me."

"He... he was? But then..." he looked slightly up, suddenly a little concerned of letting his eyes face hers, as he feared he would blush again, so he flicked with them as he rubbed his neck nervously. "Why was he so... "

"I don't know. But to be honest, almost everyone have been acting odd today." she said and rolled her blue eyes as she pulled up her legs and curled them up under her skirt so she was sitting up leaning at the bed's end. "At least since these guests showed up. Suddenly we all had our hands full, and then..." she sighed and rolled her eyes. "I guess you can say it's one of those days."

"I guess working at the Castle isn't just anything." Varian replied, still a little nervous.

"If I am to be honest, it's been a couple of odd weeks too. It's been a little odd for while since everyone started quarrelling. Or that day when the King started quarreling with the other king visiting and people were acting like... Well, no one ever act like they did that day. Even the Queen acted strange that day." She chuckled. "I never thought I would hear Nigel laugh hysterically, but he did."

Varian laughed a little at this. "Sounds like it's kind of fun working here after all."

"It could have been. But most of the others are grown ups, and you know how they are at times." she rolled her eyes again and smiled overbearing.

"Do tell!" Varian giggled. "But at least you get to be around when the big events comes up, that must be something."

"Hm..." she have him small eyes. "I'll tell you, I'm actually one of the lowest of rank here. I've just turned thirteen... And I'm still just the scullery maid."

"And that means..." Varian coughed. "For someone who's never..."

"I have the funny job to get up reeealy early to light the fire in the kitchen. And in winter I light the fire in the great hall as well." She blew some locks away from her face. "Quite a good excuse for them to send me early to bed, huh?"

Varian laughed again. "You know, I actually do the same at home, but that's mostly because Ruddiger wakes me up cause he has to... You know."The subject threatened to make him blush again, but she laughed with him this time.

"Same here, with Caterpillar! But what do you do then?"

"Then I finish off the fresh breads , I normally leave them on the bench the night before. But I suppose it's easier with our household than this HUGE castle." he put a little weight on the word as he looked around in the room, which he thought was big enough alone.

"Well, we have a deal with the baker. We get fresh bread delivered every morning from the bakery in town. My grandma has the job of receiving them every morning, and gosh is she strict when it's not right."

"I can imagine..." he laughed. "But that sounds smart. For both parts. At home it's just me and my dad." he said and nodded silently. "Yep. Just me and my dad."

"But don't your mom do the bakery?" Karen said.

"Yeah... My mom, she... died years ago. I barely remember her, but I bet she... would have done so." Varian's smile faded at sudden, as he didn't really like the direction the conversation was going.

Karen too lost her smile. "So did mine... and my dad... Years ago..."

Varian watched at her pale blue eyes were filled with tears at sudden and became insecure of what to do. If only he had an handkerchief to offer her , but all he had found in his pockets so far was food scraps, which were still a mystery to him. He didn't even know her, so how could he offer her a shoulder to cry on, least of all in his rather smelly condition? Being reminded of his dreadful state in her presence as well didn't actually help either. The sudden insecurity made him feel like a coward, and all he could do was to lower his head.

#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#

As Fredric listened to what the physician had to say, he recalled Karen's tale from just minutes before, about Varian not remembering how he got there. He had failed to believe this was all true, but now he begun to understand that there might be some substance in it.

"N-n-nothing?" He stumbled as he finally managed to speak.

The old physician shook his head and remained calm. "Nothing! I fear he don't even remember his father's... so called state. And I will prove it to Your Majesty if He allows me. But I must warn; we cannot utter a single word about this to Varian. We cannot let him know any of his previous deeds, or about his father. Not to mention the actual reason why he is here. At least not until I am done exmaminating him."

"But why?" Fredric asked. "He has committed treason against the Kingdom itself! He... he kidnapped my wife... That is such a huge matter that it cannot..."

"Your Majesty, If I may?"

The King turned towards the blacksmith again, who bowed a second time before he took a step forward. "I must agree with my friend here. Such a severe case of memory loss could be dangerous for the one it matters. Especially for one so young. I know a story of a man who were once struck with such a case when he were part of a tragic accident that caused him to lose his family in a terrible fire. They found him alive, but he did not recall anything of the tragic happening. In his mind, only the house was gone, and they were still alive and had yet to return from a visit to his wife's parents, and he was concerned over what he would to when they returned to the house that was no longer there."

He paused a moment to see if His Majesty followed, then he kept going.

"The locals did not know how to tell him simply because they felt sorry for him, but then there were a careless soul who reviled the whole story to him, and all of a sudden he could recall that the accident with the fire had been all his fault. It had been nothing more than a torch on the wrong place, but it was enough for him to lose his family. The shock and realization, not to mention the guilt he felt that it had all been his own fault, was so grand in fact that it became too much for him to bear, and..." Xavier drew his breath.

"And what?" the King asked feeling frustration grow, clenching both his hands and panting of impatience. "Tell me what happened?"

Xavier got a sorrowful expression on his face as he spoke again. "The poor man lost his mind completely. He lost himself to madness. Not only did he lose touch with his surroundings, but everytime he sees a fire, just the light of a match, he will ravish and scream and make such commotion that he'll be a danger to others as well as himself."

"My word, what... What happened to him?" Fredric stared at him in disbelief and worry.

"He was brought to a convent where he must have help with everything he does, from eating to sleeping to..." he arched an eyebrow. "Well, everything. He is simply gone, Your Majesty. He is, what they call, a living, walking dead. Only when he sees a hint of fire, he reacts the way I described, and he will act this way until he faints of exhaustion."

Fredric stood still and listened with horror. He was too stunned to reply, so Phineas continued where Xavier stopped.

"Sire... Xavier and I have already discussed this, and after what I have just heard from your Majesty, I am more than convinced it would be a horrible idea to revile too much for him at once. Or else, there is a chance we would lose his wits completely!"

Fredric didn't notice that his mouth fell open and all color faded from his face. He were a moment brought back to the garden where they were discussing Varian's mental state. They had all believed he had lost touch with reality already then, but it was difficult to say if he had or not. But now there appeared a chance that he would so if they...

He shook his head at the thought and blinked before looking up at him. "But... What do you mean with 'reveling too much at once'?"

"I mean that it would be dangerous for him if we simply just threw in his face the very reason why he is here, and even worse, what has happened to his father. "

"You know of... Quirin's fate?" Fredric asked.

"Like I've said, I met Xavier in Old Corona. I have seen the amber... and it's content." The old physician said calmly, but as he uttered the last sentence, he closed his narrow eyes and wrinkled his forehead. "And after thinking about this, I have come to the conclusion that Varian's memory... It occurs to me that these are subjects his mind has most likely... chosen to forget."

"I don't understand..." the King said. "Are you telling me he has chosen to forget this himself?"

The physician rose his head and face him, this time with a certain pride in his small eyes. "As you may have heard of me before, Sire, I am studying not only the human body, but the human brain as well. The brain is a complex and rather sensitive object that is far too often taken for granted, and it has more effect on our body than we believe. It tells us to eat when we're hungry, take a nap when we're tired, put on warm clothes when it's cold and remove out hand from the fire when it causes us pain. But there are times when we do not listen to our head, and therefore it makes the body react in different ways to help us tell something is wrong. Does Your Majesty recall the times where He got the rash after the Princess returned? Well, that was simply a reaction of your brain telling your body that you were worrying too much. It went away right after you admitted what worried you; the safety of Princess Rapunzel. This is how it works. The brain tries to protect the body by making it react in different ways."

"But how does that..." the King asked, but were interrupted by Phineas holding up a hand to silence him before he continued.

"The man in the story, Sire, had forgotten about a tragic happening. Varian too, has forgotten about tragic things that has happened. And of all his deeds as well. In his mind, his father is still alive, and everything is alright. Well, he has unfortunately become aware that something is wrong with his hometown, but except from that, he recalls nothing of why. I have a feeling if the boy hasn't gone completely mad, he must deep down inside feel a hint of guilt for what he has done. All criminals do, but they cover it by blaming others. So was it with the man; he forgot that the fire was his own fault because that was a fact that was too painful for him to accept. As we all know, Varian is under age, and a natural reaction for a child doing something wrong would most likely be to deny it."

"That is in fact correct." the King said as he begun to realize the substance in the old physician's words. "All the way, Varian has put the blame on others for everything."

"Aha! There we can see. This becomes more and more obvious."

Fredric didn't say this out loud, but he also recalled that Rapunzel too had been recurrent of telling about her new grown hair and the black rocks in the beginning. There were times when Fredric had trouble seeing his daughter as a grown up, simply by the way she acted. Although, his poor daughter hadn't actually been taught to become a grown woman, as her kidnapper had always intended to keep her locked up, and therefore would never need her to act like a grown woman and stand up to what she had done. "But why is his mind doing this to him?" he asked to get his mind of Rapunzel.

"Because these memories are causing him mental pain, and the body will try to shield him from it. The human mind will always do what it thinks is best for the body, and right now it seems like forgetting is the best way for his body to recover."

"Recover?" Fredric blinked again.

Phineas' eyes grew small again as he looked him in the eyes. "I will not lie, Your Majesty. The boy's condition is... dreadful. He carries traits of lack of right food, lack of sleep and of stress over a long, long time, far from fitting for a young boy still growing."

"He... hasn't ate well the month he's been in the cell..." Fredric admitted. "He's been there for about a month and a week..."

"Not _a_ month, Your Majesty. In this case we're talking _months_!" Phineas wrinkled his eyebrows. "I took a look at the boy's tongue. It's the worst case of neglection I have seen on a child in years. I cannot help but ask so boldly, but has Your Majesty any idea of how the lad has been doing the last quarter of the year? Because it's obvious that it hasn't been good!"

Fredric found himself unable to answer. It had never occurred to him that while he was trying to receive help from others after Rapunzel failed so, and while he himself had sent out guards to hunt his daughter's so called attacker down and search for Quirin's scroll, Varian had most likely not been feeling safe anywhere, and been forced to hide. Who could tell what kind of condition he had been under during those months. He couldn't help but suddenly feel cold.

An awkward silence fell in the room as he pondered over this, and all of a sudden he felt his heart sink deeper and deeper. He had promised Rapunzel he would help him, but in the end, Varian had to come to terms with what he had done. But how could this be done now?

Was it really a chance that they would lose him forever if they told him the truth? The horrible truth that in the end could not be avoided?

**I can't actually remember it be mentioned that Varian was hunted down for 'attacking' Rapunzel, but I have a feeling Fredric would do just that to keep his daughter safe. After all, he had been known by Nigel, so clearly he had been told about him. So therefore I put that in to strengthen the whole 'everyone turned their back on me' issue. I hope people don't mind the liberties taken. **

**And many of you might have guessed by now that Phineas is of chinese origin, and I have taken liberties of studying chinese medicine for this purpose. They could easily find the state of a person by checking his or hers tongue, and this is what he's been doing with Varian. **


	23. Chapter 22 Varian's Memory

**Chapter 22: Varian's memory **

**Here's another chapter for those who'd like it. I apologize to those who have to wait for my other stories to finish, both that I have been updating lately have a rather important turn, and I want the next chapters to be all perfect before I post them. I do it with this too of course, just right not it was easier writing this. **

**Did people had fun watching the grand double episode from Tangled this weekend? Let's just admit it; Jeremy Jordan/Varian knocked us over - again! I try to imagine how I can combine my story with the show's ending season, I have to confess, certain things took me by surprise already in ending of season 2. So how to do this... It's a little while till I come that far with this story though. In the meantime, let's go back to our teens! **

As his master pondered over what to do to help the poor girl on the edge of tears, Ruddiger too sensed the young girl's sudden sadness. The raccoon had realized the girl could be counted as a friend, both from the situation and because he had felt his master's cent on her, and the critter had quickly come to the conclusion that he simply liked her. Therefore it troubled him to see her this sad. So he crawled off Varian's lap and headed over to Karen and nudged his head towards her arm as he crooned softly.

Karen looked up and smiled at him, and wiped her eyes and nose before beginning to stroke his furry back. "Ruddiger huh?" she gave a chuckle as she lifted him up to her lap and scratched him on his belly. "Now, you're definitely not Caterpillar."

Varian laughed as well, but were mostly relieved to see her smile again, and grateful for his friend to take action. "Nope! He sure ain't. All wrong color and... everything."

"I love his tail. It's so soft and fluffy." Karen said and let her hand gently slide across the critters thick furry tail. "How did you end up with him as a pet?" she said and nuzzled her nose on his soft head.

"I caught him in a trap I made at home to keep critters away from our food storage, and even though dad told me to take him outside, I... I just couldn't. But I regularly have to put up traps to keep him from eating up our apples. He's all hopeless when it comes to apples." Varian looked at him as he let the girl scratch his belly. "But I don't consider him a pet really. He's actually my best friend. Don't you feel that way about Caterpillar too?"

"Of course I do. Caterpillar is the only friend I have here at the Castle." She shrugged. "It's funny. It's like when you work at the castle, other children seem to be a little... afraid of you."

"What? How?" Varian asked curious and pulled his knees further up to his body.

"Oh, I don't know... Maybe they think I'm being snobbish because I work here. They expect a certain perfection here, and other kids just don't always understand that. I... I am some kind of a perfectionist myself, and...not everyone are that." She sighed heavily, still with her hand on Ruddiger, who had curled up into a ball on her lap and soon fell into a doze by the cuddling. "I would sometimes give anything for someone at my own age."

Varian felt how her words touched something inside him. "Hm... I know that one. Other kids seem to be avoiding me too. But I think that's mostly because I'm... weird." Varian looked away. Normally he never talked about it, and all of a sudden he felt a little empty inside, and he wrapped his arms around himself and looked away. "Hm... I guess they're right."

"What do you mean?" Karen asked with questioning eyes.

"Well... People take me for..." He smiled embarrassing as he led a hand nervously to the back of his head. "Don't laugh now, but... they think I'm a magician." He giggled and looked away. "A wizard."

Karen looked with wide eyes at him, then stifled a chuckle with a hand and smirked behind it. "Yeah right! I can sooo see you with a pointy hat and a staff."

"Ah-ha?!" he replied giggling. "Especially since I'm working with science, which is the quite opposite of magic, really! My whole village thinks that..." He suddenly stopped himself as a thought struck him, and he bit him bottom lip again before he spoke again. "Speaking of... Lars said that my village was all abandoned!" He grabbed both sides of his head. "Oh, I sure hope it wasn't the hot water tanks that did it. I would never forgive myself if it turned out that..."

"Hot water what?" Karen arched an eyebrow.

Varian woke a moment from his disturbed monologue and saw her confused look. He tried to explain to her his grand idea of surprising his village with hot, running water to all the village by the use of science and alchemy. Little did he know that his grand surprise project had blown to pieces half a year earlier.

Karen sat speechless with her mouth open while he spoke, before she blinked in a mix of confusion and amazement. "How in the world were you gonna do that? You need to warm up water with firewood, and I don't think that would be very good in an underground tunnel."

"With alchemy! I would use a compound that would create a chemical reaction which would keep the tanks warm. There would be no need of firewood at all." the boy explained eagerly, and the girl's interest in his work made him forget his own troubles for a while.

"Wow..." she blinked as he was done explaining at last. "Sounds like you've put allot of work into this."

"I have, but I... Eh... Guess I can't tell if it was worth it now." Varian said and carefully leaned back on the bed. "I suuure hope it wasn't my fault that people had to leave my village..."

"I don't know anything about any machine... stuff, but I think it's more likely that it's the black rocks's fault that your village was abandoned."

"What?!" Varian blinked and looked at her again. "Black... Black rocks?"

"It's actually a problem that has been all over the Kingdom lately. Large, sharp, pointy black rocks that had made their way through the kingdom and caused quite allot of damage. I dare bet that's the reason, cause I've heard they have destroyed people's homes and crops and quite much else. It's also the reason why..." she was about to mention that Princess Rapunzel had to leave to solve the mystery of these rocks, but she never got that far, as Varian interrupted her.

"So it doesn't have to be my fault?"

"Nope!" Karen shook her head. "I believe you can calm down at that part."

"Pheeew..." Varian leaned his head back again. That's good. What a relief. I was actually hoping to present the idea at the science expo, but... " he interrupted himself again and sat up again as he became thoughtful. Then he suddenly looked at her again. "Wait... What day did you say you had seen me here again?"

"It was the science expo actually!" she replied, carefully stroking Ruddiger's fur to avoid waking him up.

"Really? You mean, I really took part in that?" his blue eyes widened and looked like they were gonna pop out of his head. "Oh, what a drag I don't remember that! What was I presenting?"

"How am I suppose to know? I was too much cooped up with chores to even go at the expo. Besides, I saw you _here_, inside the castle corridors." she said, pointing towards the floor. "Like I said earlier, I saw you helping Cassandra with HER chores." Losing her smile as she spoke the last words between bitten teeth, she had trouble hiding her obvious dislike of the subject.

"I was?" He wrinkled his eyebrows and led a finger up to his lips as he thought. "Yes, you did mention that name at the kitchen. But... I don't recall anyone with that name."

"Are you sure?" Karen said. "Cause I saw you talking, and you even said you were friends."

"Eh..." Varian chuckled slightly insecure. "No offence, but that's another thing I find a little hard to believe, cause mostly, girls at my age, they sort of..." he looked away rather embarrassed and gave the nervous laugh again while his eyes flicked. "Ignore me. No surprise, really..."

"Well, how old are you then?" Karen asked.

"Fo...fourteen..." he said, rather insecurely, suddenly flicking his eyes.

"Well, I am thirteen, and Cassandra is ten years older than me." she said with a smirk. "So she's definitely not your age. And... no offence, but... it could be that she tricked you to do it for her. Believe me, it's not the first time that's happened." She frowned and looked away.

"Doesn't actually sound like a the nicest person." he replied, arching an eyebrow. "Who is she? You seem to know her pretty well."

"If I know her, it's not by choice. She's Princess Rapunzel's lady-in-waiting. And she doesn't even like it. That is so unfair! I would give anything to be in that position!" Karen said and frowned even more. "Although she had this idea of becoming a guard one day. Her father is the Captain of the guards."

"Wow... How did I of all people stumble into a lady-in-waiting? And to Princess Rapunzel of all the world!" Varian got stars in his eyes for a moment before he blinked and spoke again. "She must be kind of important to be in that position."

"She likes to think she is." the girl said, looking away with small eyes.

"What does she looks like? Describe her so me, and maybe I'll recall her."

"Okay." Karen thought a moment before she spoke. "She is about a head taller than you, I guess, rather pale with black, short wavy hair and grey eyes. And she's always having a sarcastic smile on her face. Or a frown. One could say she' kind of pretty, but that depends... Anyway... Whenever she's with the Princess, she wears what ladies-in-waiting wears; a bright blue and white dress and a white headdress with a veil covering her hair."

"Hm... I don't think I recall anyone with such description..." Varian looked up in the air as he rubbed his chin with his fingers. "Or that kind of outfit..."

"Then... can you recall ever seeing her without the dress then?" she said, tilted her head to one side.

"WITHOUT THE DRESS!?" Varian cried out as his blue eyes threatened to pop right out of his head again and his face turned bright red as he stumbled. "Are you saying that...? I-I-I would never...! WHAT?!"

Karen couldn't help but break into laughter when she saw his panicked expression and wide eyes. "No no no..." she covered her face with both hands, trying in vain to hide how amusing she thought this was. "She... she... she wears..." she struggled to gather herself and gasped several times. "She sometimes... dress up as a boy..." she giggled and gasped over eachother, unable to stop laughing. Ruddiger, who had woken up by Varian's cry, almost rolled of Karen's lap by her laughing, and blinked confused over what was going on, not really understanding what was so funny.

"Oh!" Varian sat back again, realizing how foolish he must have looked like and laughed himself. After a minute of laughing, the two teens wiped their eyes and finally got their breath under control, but Varian didn't stop blushing.

"Thank goodness. I bet my dad would reeeally have like that." he giggled and stared at the roof.

Karen stifled a last chuckle with her hand before giving him small eyes and a sneaky smile. "You should be more afraid of HER father. The Captain isn't someone you mess with."

"I'll keep that in mind." he smiled foolishly. "So I was... helping this Cassandra... Here, at the castle?" he pointed a finger down on the bed, indicating that he meant here.

"U-huh." Karen nodded.

"And the science expo has been... when?"

"Long time ago."

"So..." he bit his bottom lip again, afraid to ask the next question, but his curiosity won and he drew his breath before he dropped the bomb. "What... month is it... really?"

"Beginning of may." she replied, but immediately regretted being so quick about her answer when she saw his reaction.

Varian's blushing face took it's time to turn to normal after they stopped laughing, but now all color faded from his face. He drew his breath a couple of times and swallowed hard. "So... that's why he drew the curtains..." he whispered. "He didn't want me to see that..."he closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead with both hands. "This is absurd. How is this even possible?" He gave a loud gasp at sudden and covered his mouth. "Beginning of may? But that means..."

"Means... what?"

Varian's only reply to this was trying to swallow a sudden lump in his throat. He begun to look insecure and started biting his bottom lip again. "I'm missing... a whole half year... of my memory!" He looked up at the roof with lost eyes. "How is that even possible?"

Sensing his master's frustrations again, Ruddiger headed over to Varian and sat beside him, patting his arm gently to comfort him. Without looking at him, Varian led an arm around him clenched him to his side. Becoming aware of his presence again, Varian looked down at his furry friend. "Do you know what happened?"

Ruddiger replied by looking away.

Karen sat up on her knees in the bed and looked at him. "Hey, let's try to figure it out. What's the last thing you can recall? Think now! Try really hard!"

He sat back and took a deep breath, let it out slowly and cleared his throat. "Okay, let's see... I think, one of the things I can recall, was... I was down in the grottoes where I did some modifications on the water tanks." he raised his head and smiled at her. "I don't think I would have remembered that if we hadn't talked about it."

"Let's do some more talking then." she smiled. "Tell me what you did down there."

"Alright!" Varian said and got eager. "Okay, I went down in the grottoes, got up again, put on my protection suit, I was planning to try out something, and then I got disturbed when Ruddiger got..." he stopped and sat staring out in front of him.

"What? Ruddiger got what?" Karen tried to keep him going.

"T-trap-pped in my... Trapped in..."

The next thing that happened gave Karen yet another scare.

**I decided that it would be normal to make it beginning of may since, it seems like Corona is a Germany like country and therefore winter isn't that long, and summer is even longer. And, it was autumn when Rapunzel met Varian, with some trees growing orange and apples on the trees. And since season 1 stretches through 6 months, I found it best that Rapunzel might have her birthday in, let's say it's in April. And now she's been away for a month and a week, making it May for our hero to 'wake up' in. **

**And... I don't know if anyone agrees with me, but I remember in 'Challange of the Brave', we saw Cassandra doing laundry, and the three maids, among them the young, yet unnamed girl, came and threw more into the water, and there I thought she looked a little taller there than in other scenes, and I liked the thought that she was just a little younger than Varian. For all we know, she could be a little short for her age. She looks like she has grown too a little in season 3, becoming a little taller, just like Red and Angry. That's a funny detail no one has noticed yet. **


	24. Chapter 23 Deciding about Varian

**Chapter 23: Deciding about Varian **

Unaware, and rather ignorant at what was going on at the castle, old Lady Crowley were on her daily round of sweeping the floors in the castle. She had finished off the upper floors and was about to go down when she heard loud screaming in the stairs.

The old woman frowned. If there was something she hated, it was noise. And if there was something she hated even more, it was a noisy child. And right now, a noisy child in the Castle was the last thing she wanted. She stood still and scowled as a young red haired man dressed in blue came up, carrying a younger red haired one dressed in blue on his shoulder, a young child who was kicking and shouting so much that the older one struggled to keep his balance.

"I wanna go back to Varian!" the young boy cried out loud and kicked with his legs, giving Jonas a hard time holding him.

"That's enough, Daniel!" His uncle got tired of trying to hold him and gave the goy a hard spank on his rear end, making the boy cry out in pain. Then when he stopped kicking for once, Jonas lifted him in a new grip to make sure he didn't lose him. "Look now, Varian isn't feeling well... He must be taken care of by the doctor!"

"But the doctor told me to help him, and we weren't finished! Even dad let me be there!" the boy objected.

"But now you're supposed to take a nap before dinner." Jonas said, calmer now. "The King has to speak with Varian now."

"But I don't wanna nap! And I don't want dinner! I always get vegetables." The boy was screaming loud now.

"Because they are good for you. I ate my vegetables, and I have grown up to be tall and strong. Now calm down..." he spotted Lady Crowley and smiled the best way he could despite the awkward situation. "Excuse me, my lady. Where can I find the guest rooms? I believe there were some prepared..."

"Down the end of the hallway and next corner." Lady Crowley said dryly and pointed it out. "Make sure the kid stays quiet after supper. No noise after six o clock - precisely!"

Jonas chuckled nervously at the old lady's command. "Sure, ma'am. The Majesties won't be disturbed by him, I'll make sure of that."

"Whatever. As long as I'm not disturbed." the old woman said as she grabbed her broom and passed them, without as much as nodding in respect. Jonas looked after her and shrugged, before he kept walking, keeping his grip around Daniel, who begun struggling again.

Around the next corner he was uncertain of where to go next, but he was so fortunate to see the Queen as she came out of one of the rooms. She spotted them and seemed somehow relieved. "Oh thank goodness, there you are! I... eh... I h-have been looking so much forward to meet him." She seemed a bit nervous at sudden, but Jonas had his hands full to pay any notice.

Daniel stopped struggling a moment to take a look at who they met, and when he that it was just another woman, he begun struggling again. But Jonas actually put him down this time to have him properly introduced to Arianna. "Eh... Your Majesty. This is my..." he almost lost his balance again when Daniel tried to escape, and he had to pull him back. "My brother's son, and my nephew, Prince Daniel. And Daniel, this is your aunt Queen Arianna."

Arianna bent a little down to have a closer look at him while she smiled at him. "Hello, Daniel. I am so glad to finally see you. I met you when you were a little boy, but you probably don't remember that, you were so young. I'm glad to see how much you've grown."

Daniel just looked away, frowning.

"Aw, are we a little shy?" she said smiling and bent down and reached out to lift up his chin to have him faced her.

But the moment she touched his face, he turned towards her and scowled at her and cried out loud. "Don't touch me! I hate you too!"

Arianna was so startled that she took a few steps back. Her mouth fell open and she stopped breathing a moment, her green eyes twice as wide.

"DANIEL!" Jonas said strictly, getting angry at him and tightened the grip around his arm.

"I wanna go to Varian! Let go of me!" he screamed loud and started hitting his uncle with his free hand when his uncle grabbed it, the boy got bold enough to actually bite his fingers.

Jonas didn't make a sound, but the face he made and his clenched teeth could tell that the boy had sharp teeth, and likely strong jaws as well. He responded by grabbing even harder at his wrist. "Alright, that's enough!" Then he turned towards the Queen, who looked as if she had been attacked by a wild beast. "I hope you'll excuse him, Your Majesty. It's been too much at one day. I need to get him to his room. May I ask where...?"

Arianna shook her head to gather herself and turned around. "Y...yes of course. Right here." she led the way a couple of doors away and pointed out a pair of doors to her left. "These two are prepared for you and your brother, and this one across your brothers' is for the young boy." She said and opened the door to her right. "We weren't certain if he was to have a chamber with his father, so..."

"I think maybe he should be old enough for a room of his own."Jonas said as he dragged his nephew inside.

"Eh Jonas?" the Queen said. "May I have a word with you?"

Jonas got a little insecure, but desired to give it a try. He pushed Daniel inside the room. "I'll be right there, so don't try anything." Then he hurried to close the door before the boy reached it. They heard him cry loud and furiously and hit his fist against the wood and kick it so hard they both feared a moment he would get through.

Arianna stood a moment in shock over what she had just witnessed, and Jonas looked terribly embarrassed.

"What a... lively little fella..." she said to break the awkward silence between them, if one looked away from the shrieking screams from inside the room.

"Yeah... It's never boring with him around." Jonas cleared his throat. "Has... Annabelle taken a nap?"

"What?" Arianna blinked. "Oh... Oh yes, she were rather tired, so... she's asleep."

"Good... I hope she'll feel better. They day didn't go like she planned, so..." Jonas chuckled nervously. "So... Your Majesty wanted a word?"

The Queen woke up from her shock and cleared her throat. "Yes, I... I thought I heard him, Daniel... mention... a certain name?"

"A name?" Jonas asked, and suddenly recalled. "Oh right. Your Majesty probably mean Varian. The King too seemed rather interested in him as well."

The Queen froze a short moment when the name was mentioned, but she tried to her best not to give herself away. "Yes, I... I got the impression that the boy- Daniel I mean... Has he... met with him?"

"Yes, they were in the same room, so I presume they've been introduced somehow." Jonas responded.

"Down in the sick room?" Arianna widened her eyes. "Was he the wounded boy? This... Varian, I mean?"

"I'm not sure." Jonas shrugged. "Although it was difficult to get a clue of the situation. All I know is..."

He didn't get to finish off the sentence before they heard something smash from inside the closed door, followed by another loud, frustrated cry from the furious boy inside the room. Jonas gave nervous laugh. "May I be excused, Your Majesty?" he said and pointed towards the door, needing no words to explain that he needed to check on the boy in there.

"Oh I... Sure. You go to him." she hurried to say.

"Thank you." he said short while he bowed quickly before he hurried inside the room. Arianna could hear him raise his voice and the boy kept screaming things like 'I hate you!' and 'You're a dumb donkey!'. The Queen felt rather disturbed after witnessing this, and needed a moment to gather herself, walking away from the guest rooms as fast as she could.

As soon as she was past the corner, she let out a frustrated cry herself and grabbed her head in her hands. Daniel had obviously had some kind of interaction with Varian, but how? And why did he give the impression that he wanted to go back to him?

As she kept on walking, she found herself pondering over Daniel's firely appearance, which had also disturbed her. Nigel hadn't overrated this time; the young boy had terribly many likenesses with the young alchemist. Somehow she began wondering if keeping Daniel in the castle was going to be a worse task than keeping Varian there.

The thought of Varian made her hurry up. She was worn out of concern by now, and needed to know what the situation was about him. She had to go and see for herself. Only by doing so, she would be certain. So she lifted up the skirts of her dress and made a gentle run.

#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#

Meanwhile, one floor below, Millicent had her mind troubled as well. Worrying about Karen and then getting hit down by the Captain and Nigel was such a dreadful experience in once. As she half ran through the corridor, she found Mrs. Crowley as she had begun sweeping the first floor. She walked right towards her, ignoring the dust she swept towards her.

"Mrs. Crowley? have you seen..." She didn't get any further as a sudden sharp cent made her sneeze. "What... Who had spilt pepper in the hallway?" she asked as she wiped her nose.

"How am I supposed to now?" Lady Crowley said as she kept sweeping, ignoring Millicent as she sneezed three more times.

"Bless you, dear."

Millicent got herself a shock as she rose and suddenly stood face to face with the Queen herself, just approaching down the stairs. She quickly wiped her nose before kneeling."Oh... Your Majesty!" Pardon me for asking, but I must find Karen. She..."

"Look, Millicent, I understand you might have things to do, but I would really appreciate of you could hurry up to Princess Annabelle's bedroom and... tend to her needs?" the Queen gave her a rather excusing and begging look with her green eyes. "I would really appreciate it."

"But Your Majesty, what about Karen? I have to find her before that horrid prisoner..."

"I assure you that I saw Karen not long ago, and she was perfectly fine. And I have just been informed that this... prisoner is under control. Y-you have nothing to worry about."

"Oh, what delight!" Millicent gave a relieved sigh. "Ehm... May I ask, Your Majesty. Was her ladyship satisfied with the room?"

"Eh, she hasn't paid too much attention to it yet. She's tired from her journey, and has fallen asleep." Arianna said with en excusing smile, not mentioning the fact that Annabelle had cried herself to sleep. "But I can say it was an excellent choice and I am certain she will appreciate it. And I am sure, once there is time, or course, that she will love to have some flowers brought up. The best you can find."

"I will see to it, Your Majesty." Millicent replied, not as enthusiastic though. "But is it too much to ask Your Majesty if someone would please inform my mother in the kitchen about Karen? She's worried and won't be able to concentrate on the dinner."

"Don't worry, Millicent. As long as you deal with Princess Annabelle, I will take care of everything else."

The Queen seemed to be in a hurry, but Millicent trusted Her Majesty would to as she promised and knelt before she went on with her new task of tending to the Princess. But halfway up she got reminded of whom she was attending to, and frowned. "Although, I would rather handle the prisoner than that dainty snob."

#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#

Fredric remained quiet as he pondered over the newly arrived issue with Varian. He was already moving through a rather tight passage, but now the Physician had him trapped in a corner. Nevertheless, he had to move on to find a solution to this issue.

"You might be right about his... condition, but... Enough of that now! Tell me instead; what am I supposed to do with..." the King finally uttered, but were interrupted by the physician.

"I am not fully done with my analyses on him, and until I am, I won't have him leave that room." He pointed towards the doors leading to the sickroom. "There is one more rather vital detail I need to figure out of, and I won't make any decision before I have figured out of that part. But we must not rush this. Until we know how much of his memory that is really gone, we must take cautions. Mentioning too much will cause him to ask questions and become worried."

"But there are too many issues connected with this. I... I can't just ignore them!"

"With all respect, Your Majesty, while Varian is under my treatment, I allow myself to be the one deciding what would be safest for him!" Phineas said adamant, giving him small eyes.

Ferdic felt how he had to put a hold on himself. It wasn't the first time he had to quarrel with the foreign physician. He could easily remember the time with the horrible rash he had mentioned, and his techniques had been questioned more than once. Sure, he had never failed on giving a statement of illness, but his treating could be a little too special at times. Nevertheless, he wasn't certain it would be possible to allow what Phineas demanded. He knew how difficult it would be for the whole castle staff to have him this close, not to mention how hard it would be for the Captain to not have him locked up. But deep inside Fredric knew that Phineas was right. If there really had been caused so much damage to Varian's head as he said, then would it really be a good idea to revile too much at once?

All Fredric knew for certain was that the last thing he wanted was for Varian to suffer more than he already had. So he faced the Physician and spoke. "How long do you need?"

"For his body to recover, I would say at least two weeks, to feed him properly and for his head to heal, regularly sleep and so on. He has a concussion as well, but that won't take more than three days approximately if he remains calm. But when it comes to his memory... I must come back to that."

"Don't you think there is a chance he'll... remember things by himself?" Fredric asked carefully.

"That is a chance, yes, but it's difficult to say. Like I've mentioned, the human brain is rather complex, and I prefer to be careful with such a young, sensitive mind. Especially since he seems like a rather bright lad, if not a little eccentric, and that kind are often more... how should I put it... delicate than others. But it would be a shame to lose such a good potential." He looked at the door and smiled. "Not to mention such an amusing character."

"I agree." Xavier said, behind him, and Pnineas gave him a short, grateful smile.

Fredric closed his eyes and frowned. "As much as I agree with you there Phineas, I..."

"He got so desperate he didn't know what else to do..."

The sudden sentence made them all turn around. They had all forgotten about Lars while they discussed Varian's situation, but now they all turned their attention to him where he sat on one of the bench by the wall, resting his head in his hands while he mumbled with trembling voice. They had forgotten him for a while, but he had most likely heard everything that was said.

"My father..." he gasped. "H-he wouldn't have hesitated to chop his head off."

"No, I..." Fredric begun, realizing what kind of a shock this alone must have been for Lars, considering he had let his son be so close to Varian. "I suppose that... would be an option for many, but..."

"If it hadn't been for mother..." His voice broke in a sudden sob, and his shoulders begun to shake where he sat.

The sudden sentence made Fredric raise an eyebrow at him. "Lars, what do you..."

"Why didn't they realize..." he sniffed and swallowed. "He wouldn't have gone that far if they hadn't..." His voice broke as another sob escaped his throat. "Father, why couldn't you see... All of you fools!" He cried the last words out and he covered his face with his hands, his shoulders shaking even harder along with his hitching breath.

Xavier and Phineas exchanged confused looks while Fredric walked over to him and touched his shoulder gently. "Lars what... who are you talking about?"

Lars took a deep breath and found his handkerchief to wipe his eyes and nose, but before he managed to give a reply through his gasps, the door to the sick room were flung open. Everyone turned to face Karen's frightened eyes.

"Phineas, come quick! Something is wrong with him!"

Behind her, they heard Varian's chocked scream.


	25. Chapter 24 Fredric Struggles

**Chapter 24: Fredric struggles**

**I am deeply sorry, but I find myself needed to fix a slight mistake and therefore I have to re-post this chapter. I am so sorry for this. It turned out I misspoke about something. The chapter is still the same, I just corrected slight detail. **

Down in the sick room, the physician bent over Varian's crinching body. The boy looked like he had great pains in his head as he kept both hands hard around it and clenching his teeth, eyes hard shut and hitching when he breathed as he leaned sideways on the pillow while sweat sprang on his face. At the foot of the bed, Ruddiger was curled up and hiding behind his striped tail, not realizing what was wrong with his master.

"What happened here?" Phineas asked.

"I... I tried to help him remember how he got here, and then when it looked like he would, he just... grabbed his head and screamed." the young girl explained stumbling, barely able to hold back her tears.

"Everyone, stand back. Let me deal with this!" Phineas said and gently placed a hand on his forehead to see if he got any respond.

"Is there anything you can do?" the King asked, his voice deeply concerned. Ruddiger responded to his voice and looked at him before he jumped out of the bed and over to him, scratching his knee as if to beg him to help. Fredric's respond was to lift him up again. It seemed like he had forgotten how he shouted earlier, as now the critter found a bit comfort in his presence.

"Let me try... Remain quiet, everyone. Not a word!" the old physician said as he led both hands towards both sides of Varian's head and tried to gently, but steady, lirk his fingers through to both temples and begun rubbing circles on them. After a few second doing so, Varian seemed to respond and slowly stopped moaning and his jaw stopped clenching, although his body begun twitching a little. His breath seemed nevertheless to calm down too.

Phineas kept rubbing circles on his temples while they watched. Then he begun mumbling in a foreign language, almost like a priest giving a hymn, only he wasn't singing. It sounded like he was repeating an ancient alphabet and he pronounced short words with only one vocal, and it sounded a little like he was speaking them through his nose. The King, Xavier and Karen watched as the odd, but relaxing words and the rubbing on his palms somehow had a calming effect on the boy's lanky, twitching body and after a while he was lying calm ok the bed again.

"Is he gonna be alright?" Karen whispered low, her bottom lip quivering.

"In Phineas hands, most people are alright." Karen felt a steady hand grab gently around her shoulder, and looked up to face the old blacksmith giving her a warm look in his grey eyes. "Now tell me, child... Did you say he was trying to remember?"

"Mhm..."she said and swallowed hard. "And then he got all weird and..." she looked at him again. Then she looked at His Majesty and at Xavier again. Both men met eacother's look, and Karen had a feeling something was wrong. "What?"

"It's just that..." the old blacksmith begun leading her towards the door. "I think we need to explain a few things. Come with me lass, and let Phineas do his work."

With huge, worried eyes, Karen kept his gaze as she let Xavier lead her outside to the reception room, past a silent Prince Lars, who watched the whole scenario a few steps from the door, with a look in his still moisty, brown eyes that was hard to read. He moved out of the way and let them pass before he closed the door behind them, himself remaining in the room without saying a word.

After seeing him lay still, the physician let a hand rest on the boy's sweat forehead while the other was checking the boy's pulse on his right wrist. Varian was all quiet now, looking rather exhausted after the odd struggle, lying with his mouth open and breathing calmly. Noticing he had gotten still again, Ruddiger moved, and Fredric lowered him on the floor again so he could approach his master. The critter jumped up on the bed and crept past the arms of the physician, who barely noticed his presence as he walked up to Varian's still face, touching it slightly with one paw.

"What can you tell, Phineas?" the King said with chocked voice.

The old man arched an eyebrow at Ruddiger. "First of all, that normally I would never have allowed an animal near a patient, but this one..."

"No, I mean..." He shook his head. "That crinching and screaming and...What was that?"

Phineas didn't reply at first, but lifted up one of the boy's eyelids and gave the open eye a slight blow to see if there were any life. When there was no immediate respond from Varian's side, the physician's face changed, and he raised his head and looked at him with stiff, small eyes.

"I fear, Your Majesty..." he clenched his right fist. "His condition... His memory... It might be worse than I thought."

"What do you mean?" Fredric said.

"I have a feeling that..." he said and rose. "What Your Majesty was witnessing here...was the boy's brain trying to protect him from memories that hurts his soul and heart, like I said earlier. The strain seems to simply have been too much for his young mind to handle, and his brain did all it could to stop him from recalling past events. The body has odd ways of telling us something is wrong with us and that we need to give ourselves time to recover. And I'm not talking of something as simple as a rash. That was pebbles compared to this boulder we have in front of him."*

"But... it looked like it... like he was hurting?" Fredric said.

"That's right. This was his brain's way of telling him that he shouldn't try to regain his lost memories yet, most likely because his young body, or mind for that matter, isn't ready to handle it." He bent over him and let a hand touch his sweat forehead. "Yet!"

"You mean, there _is_ a chance he will regain it?" the King asked with wide eyes.

"It could be. But it is far too early to say." He used a finger to slightly lift up Varian's chin to close his mouth. "I thought it was a chance he could regain it within a week or so if we gave him time to relax, but depending on how much it hurts his heart... After seeing this reaction..." he looked back on the unconscious boy before looking back at the King. "Your Majesty. I was planning to bring the truth to him a while after he had recovered physically, but after what I have just witnessed, I won't recommend it. If the truth hurts him this much, there might also a chance that he will... never recover from this. For all we know... his memories... His fate might be even worse than the man with the torch. We could lose him." He looked up and face him. "Does your Majesty want that?"

"But..." the King looked at him with wide eyes. "That would be a disaster! Considering his actions..."

"Fredric!"

The King felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to face Prince Lars. His brown eyes, still a bit red from his breakdown earlier, were stern. "If the physician says it's a chance to hurt him with his own memory, then is it really a good idea to hurt him even more than he already has been?"

Fredric stood still. Lars' calm, but cross tone cut deep into his heart. It was just like hearing his own mind speaking directly to him, and his words felt like daggers in his heart.

"I want to tell you something." His face became rather dark. "Do you recall I mentioned my... brother? The one who... died so suddenly?"

Fredric blinked a little, thinking back to the meeting in the pavilion, before suddenly remembering. "Oh... Yes, I believe I recall..."

"Well... Before his death... he too did something that... if it wasn't for his title, he would have been... "He shut his eyes hard for a moment before he opened them again, looking lost. "My point is... there was a reason for his actions. If only I had been able to help him sooner... If only he... Then he wouldn't have been driven to do what he did." His brown eyes were getting wet again, and he looked away while blinked to clear his vision. "Let's just say for now that... My brother's fate were similar to this boy's. He died with the reputation of a traitor!"

"No!" Fredric's eyes went twize as wide.

"And I confess, I failed to help him, but... you still have your chance to help Varian." Lars looked him in the eyes again. "Considering the circumstances, and his past, I think you owe him that!"

Fredric gave him a stern look back. "And what about his father? He deserves the truth, don't he?"

The words seemed to sting, and Lars looked away, his voice became a whisper when he spoke. "Sometimes... the truth is not necessary the best way." For a moment, the red haired Prince rubbed his eyes. After a moment gathering himself, he met the King's eyes again, his own brown eyes gave an expression that was hard to understand. "Maybe the truth should come to the lad sooner or later... but right now, shouldn't it be better if we let him recover to a physical state where he might actually be able to handle it?"

"Lars, are you suggesting that I should lie to him?" Fredric asked.

"It's called... holding back parts of the truth until he is ready for it." Lars stated, not changing his expression. "Fredric... You see a traitor in him, and so may many others. Phineas sees a patient." Lars turned his gaze to the boy in the bed. "But all I see is a young boy who is in dire need of help. A boy without his family there, probably scared to his wits in a condition he doesn't know how he got himself into. A boy who's gotten lost because there was no one to guide him. But most of all; When I sat there with him a while ago, I got to see a bright young man who deserves a chance in life." As he spoke, his brown eyes got hard and stern. "He won't get that in a cell!"

All of a sudden, Fredric found that he was unable to give a proper answer. His mind was arguing with his heart, and the subject of a cell made him numb. His thoughts started to wander, back to the day of Rapunzel's departure, where he had met with her after she had gone seeing Varian down in the cell. Not even Fredric had heard how hard they had to deal with him down there. Or maybe he had been told, but ignored it, again. Anyway, his daughter's reaction to it shattered his heart to pieces. As the Captain finally came up from the dungeons and followed his daughter Cassandra away to give them some privacy, she reveled this to him, and Fredric had been stunned at how hurt she was feeling for his behalf.

_"Dad... I demand you give him a better cell." she wept into his waistcoat. "I don't want him to be stuck in the dark. Give him a cell where he gets some sunshine. And make sure Ruddiger can come and go as he please. It's not good for him to be there. It's not good for any of them to be there..." _

_"There there, darling. I promised I would do all I could to help him, and if you think this will help him... get a little better, then I will do what I can."_

_"I didn't want this to happen, dad..." she sniffled. "I didn't want to hurt him, and it's... it's all my fault." Her voice broke into sore sobs. _

_"But Rapunzel, there was nothing you could have done to help his father. We saw that ourselves. It didn't work." _

_"N-not... Quirin..." she gasped and struggled. "V-V-Varian... I... I should have gone... I should have tried... I didn't even try... He was all alone!" _

_"No now, honey..." he hugged her tighter, hoping it would help her calm down, but she cried even harder. _

_"If only you had know him before... you would have loved him, dad. He was so sweet and good and he would never hurt anyone ever ever ever..." her sobs got louder and louder as she kept praising Varian as the good kid he had met half a year ago. "Dad..." she looked up at him while clinging her little hands to his waistcoat like she was holding on to life, with a twisted expression on her face and tearful, heartbroken eyes that seemed to have lost all hope. Her voice broke when she managed to utter the next words, which escaped as a long, sore cry. _

_"I've lost a frieeeend..." _

_He knew how much her friends meant to her, he hadn't forgotten how she had defended Atilla during his trial while no one else. Only that had been different, and he was proven innocent while Varian there was no doubt about. But during this process, he no longer counted her as a friend, and this realization alone seemed to tear his daughter apart from inside. It tore him up inside to see her so unhappy. _

_Eugene arrived in time to see her bury her face into her father's chest again. Her sobs echoed in the hallway, and his normally bright appearance faded as he approached them. _

_"Ehm... everything alright?" _

_The sound of Eugene's voice made Rapunzel turn around and look up. "Oh Eugene..." her voice broke into tears again as she threw herself into her boyfriend's safe embrace. Eugene, who were quite on alert with Rapunzel's feelings and couldn't stand to see her upset, did not hesitate to give her some comfort by holding her tight and stroking his hand gently over her head as she sobbed into his chest. _

_"Hey, Blondie. It's gonna be alright. You'll see your dad father again soon. Certain!" He bend down and whispered into her ear, but loud enough for Fredric to hear it. "Hey, I bet that as soon as we're away, your dad is gonna go right up to his room and cry his eyes out. He's just pretending to be tough when you're still here. Right?" _

_If he misunderstood the reason for her tears or if he had figured out and thought it was better for the moment to try to loosen up on it to make he departure a little easier to bear, Fredric couldn't tell, but he himself decided to play along, hoping it would help Rapunzel calm down. "Would you bet your goatee on that, son?" he said while smiling slyly back at him. _

_"It grows out again, so I'm not so worried about that!" the former thief said as he smirked and let a finger glide over his little chin beard. "But I believe it would be an unfair match, don't you think?" _

_Fredric had found this undeniable fact rather amusing, and suddenly broke into a rumbling laughter. _

_Rapunzel couldn't help but chuckle through her sniffles as she realized that her boyfriend and her father had grown so close they could joke with each other now. Seeing that she had calmed down a bit, Eugene looked at her and smiled when he saw her laugh. Then he reached for his pocket to get his handkerchief and handed it to her. While she wiped her eyes and nose, he turned to the King, still holding around her. "We're all set now. Just waiting for Hook Foot's big toe stop swelling, and we can leave." _

_"Swelling?" Fredric asked and arched an eyebrow. _

_"Don't ask!" Eugene replied with rolling eyes. _

The worst part was that Eugene had been right. The first moment Fredric had on his own, in his office beside his and Arianna's bedroom, his dam broke and he wept for at least fifteen minutes without stop. And then he spent hours in there and didn't come out before supper.

But when he thought back on that day, he hadn't been certain of why he had broken down that way. He had thought it was because of Rapunzel's leave, but as he stood there now, he wondered if the reason were right in front of him instead; lying there in one of the sick beds, as a result of what he had done.

As he laid there still, Fredric eyed him all over from where he stood. He knew he had been in a dreadful condition earlier that day, but seeing him so calm and without anger as a shield to protect him, he saw how right Phineas had been about him. He had been a lanky figure when they arrested him, but now he really was dreadfully skinny all over, and when he took a look at his face, he felt how all color faded from his face. Because of his condition, Varian could easily be taken for being dead where he laid. He looked so vulnerable, so delicate. So young. The thought of something harming such a fragile being...

Fredric felt a sting in his eyes and had to blink several times.

_This is all my fault! Mine alone! _

He knew it. He had known it all along. The reason for Varian's actions had been all alone his own fault. His desire to keep his precious daughter safe had led him to take actions that were hasty and unreasonable. Lying to his daughter, the very same way Quirin had lied to Varian, all to keep their children safe, at what cost? The blame was his own, but the punishment had fallen on Varian, harder than it should have. As Fredric realized this, the same voice inside him told him how unfair this was. And that's probably what Varian was feeling as well. Unfairly treated beyond words. No wonder why he refused to cooperate. Right now Fredric didn't blame him at all.

How could he possibly allow this?

_Should I have told him the truth?_ he thought to himself. All of a sudden he were pretty certain that there was a million things he could have done allot different with the handling of Varian, but he realized he hadn't given himself the time to actually do so. How horrid he felt like now. Rapunzel had felt so bad for not taking actions to help Varian, and now he was feeling just the same.

_Maybe if I had, then he could have been more cooperative. He could... I could...I should have..._

He didn't know how long he had been standing like this when another voice broke the silence.

***I am no expert on amnesia, nor am I a psychologist. I have though, experiences rash when being stressed or deeply worried. Varian's reaction to trying to remembering is a reaction I have borrowed from the episode A Stranger Passed This Way from the western television show Bonanza, where Hoss Cartright loses his memory after an assault. Whenever he tries to remember, or is stricken by something that reminds him of anything, his head hurt, and the doctor there warned them of pushing it, as it could cause great damage on his brain. Hoss' reaction wasn't as violent as the fit Varian got here, but he did have a moment when he had great pain in his head while faced with familiar things. And, things normally seems bigger on cartoon than in a live action show. **

**Also, thank you 'I'm Enthralled' for making me aware of this slight mistake with temples and palms. Phineas was rubbing on his temples, of course, the palms were just a mistake from me *just slap me*. I am sorry if I misguided you for this. Also, as a thanks, I'll answer your questions. First; the rubbing of the 'temples' is an element I have borrowed from the movie 'The Da Vinchi Code' where we see Sophie do a similar treatment to Langdon in a car where he is suffering from claustrofobics. She had learned this from her mother, who did it to her when she was stressed. It seemed like a natual addition to this. I'm no expert, but I believe the temles are a certain sensetive pressure point that might have effect on the body, not sure, just correct me if I'm wrong. Then; the words were just ispired from Mulan; when Chien Po asks Yao to repeat a calming hymn/verse/strofe... I just had this in mind when I wrote this. It made it sund a little more mysterious. The thought is that the words would have a sort of calming effect and bring him into some kind of meditative state. He just falls alseep after too much mental strain, considering his body isn't actually fitted for resistance right now. **

**I hope this was informative for you. Just stay alert; I have more chinese science/medicine coming up. **


	26. Chapter 25 Fredric's Decision

**Chapter 25: Fredric's Decision **

**To make up for the mistake in the last chapter, I'm giving you a new one now. Truth be told, I just can't help myself. I hope you enjoy it. I wonder if I haven't made too many chapters to portrait one single day though. I suddenly realized how long this day becomes for our characters. Thank you for comments and following. I don't mind you asking questions, it helps me improve. **

"Prince Lars is right, Your Majesty."

The mild voice of the physician brought him out of his thoughts. "Yes, Phineas?"

The old man placed himself near Varian again to keep an eye on his patient the whole time when they spoke, seeking any sign of him to wake, and did not take his eyes from the boy when he spoke. "I say, if Your Majesty wants to help him, now is the time."

As the King struggled with his own laments and thoughts, he felt a need to eye him closer up and walked over till he was standing over Varian. His hand trembled when he lowered it towards his head and had to force him to lay it down above his bandaged forehead. Messy black bangs were sticking up and covering the bandage and half his face, and he found himself suddenly carefully stroking the locks away from his face. He looked so still and calm. Like he was just sleeping.

This was the first time the King was having physical contact with the young alchemist, except from the time in his lab where the sassy boy had leaned himself on him and mocked him. But it was different now, and all of a sudden it was like he was once and for all reminded how young the poor boy really was. So young, and he had been through so much. The King felt the lump in his throat return by watching the fragile figure lying here. How had this lanky body been able to keep up so much resistance?

"I am so sorry, my boy..." he whispered low. "I am so... so sorry..."

He suddenly looked up as he felt something on his hand, and found Ruddiger, grabbing his hand with one paw while he looked up at him with his sweet, black eyes, then at Varian, and then at him again, as if he were pleading to him not to harm him. Fredric looked at him. All this time, it had seemed like the little critter had tried to excuse his master's behavior and asked them not to be too hard on him.

Just like Rapunzel had plead him not to be. It stung his heart to once again be reminded of his daughter. If she had seen him like this, she would have been heartbroken, and most likely been crying her eyes out by his bed right now.

As Fredric looked from the boy to the critter a couple of times, a decision took form inside his head at sudden. And at last, Fredric removed his hand from the boy, took a deep breath and looked down at Phineas.

"Let me speak to him!"

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Arianna lifted her dress as she hurried through the corridor. She felt her hair was about to loosen up behind her, and she was all sweat, but she didn't even notice. As she ran past Old Lady Crowley, she stopped herself and turned back.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Crowley, do you think you could..."

But the old lady were about to disappear through a door, and Arianna didn't even manage to finish of her sentence before the door was closed. "Ah, never mind..." Arianna sighed heavily and lifted up her dress again, and continued running. But as she crossed a corner, she gave a loud cry when she almost crashed into someone.

"Ah! Your majesty!"

Arianna stopped and almost fell backwards as she found herself almost running into Pete and Stan.

"Oh, it's just the you two." Arianna let out a sigh of relief, panting in the process. "Thank goodness!"

"Did Your Majesty think of anyone else?" Pete asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Her Majesty probably thought we were Varian, you fool!" Stan said.

"Hey, don't call me a..." Pete begun objecting when Arianna broke in with a cough.

"Pete? Stan?"

Both men stood up straight in front of her. "Yes Ma'am!" they said in unison.

"I am so glad I ran into you. I need you to do an important task for me. Can you do that?" she asked with her hands folded. "Without asking any questions?"

"Of course, Your Majesty!" Stan said.

"We'll do whatever Your Majesty ask!" Pete said.

"Ah good!" she let out a sigh. "Look, I need you to go straight to the kitchen. Tell Violet that Karen is alright and that the prisoner has been found!" she said, and then suddenly recalled the last detail. "And that she can keep concentrating on the dinner."

"He has?!" Pete widened his eyes. "Did you hear that, Stan? Varian is found!"

"But that's great!" Stan said. "But then we have to arrest him and take him back to the dungeon!"

"That... might not be necessary!" Arianna hurried to say.

"Oh? Has the Captain got him?" Stan asked.

"That's not important. Now you the just go to the kitchen and let Violet know that her granddaughter is safe!"

"But Your Majesty..." Pete tried.

"HURRY!"

All the Castle staff knew very well that whenever Queen Arianna went as far as raising her voice, you were not to cross line with her. Both Pete and Stan understood now that they were pretty close doing so, and made a quick salute before they both ran off.

"But where are we going, Stan?" Pete asked.

"To the kitchen, you fool!" Stan replied as they crossed a corner.

"Hey, stop calling me..." their voices died as they both disappeared.

Arianna found herself standing still and catching her breath, not realizing how much she had ran. She was about to keep walking when suddenly a scratching pain on her heels made her shut her eyes hard and hiss. She leaned to the wall while she took off her shoes. She bent down to gently touch her feet, and frowned when her hand came across a blister on both her heels.

"Terriffic! Just what I needed right now." she growled to herself and picked up her shoes. "Good thing I'm heading over to the Physician anyway." And with her shoes in her right hand, she kept on walking to her destination.

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Phineas took his eyes off the boy a moment and stood up to face him. "Your Majesty..." the physician begun, but Fredric cut him off.

"I know he's not ready for the truth yet, but I... I want to give him the impression that he can trust me. I wish to let him know... that I want to be there for him. I... I won't mention anything like you said, but I need to do this, Phineas. You... You always say that a human being is not in balance unless you have everything in peace inside yourself. Well, I won't be in balance, and I won't have peace with myself unless I get a chance to speak with him as... not his enemy. And... maybe he won't either. Perhaps there would be some part of his mind that will... understand that if he can trust me... then he might handle the truth better later on?"

The old physician stood still while he spoke.

"I know he's just a child, and... not everything he's done is entirely his fault. I take my blame for his condition, he shouldn't have been in this state at all. That's why I need to do this. There has been an ice front between the boy and me for quite a while. I believe that in order for me to break this, I need to let him think it's not there in the first place. Please allow me this. In order to bring peace to us both. Please, let me make him understand that I only want him well! That all I really want, is to help him! Because there is nothing I want more! I promised my daughter I would do so, and if this is the best way, then... let me!?"

Phineas listened with a stone face, and after Fredric had finished, he stood with his eyes half closed, seemingly looking down on the floor, or at nothing in particular. After a long minute that seemed like forever, his narrow eyes seemed to soften a little. The physician turned his gaze towards the windows when he finally spoke. "Those were wise words, Sire. And there might be truth in it . For his own well being..."

His thoughts were interrupted when they he heard a moan. The King and the physician and the Prince turned towards the bed and saw Varian move a little where he lied. Ruddiger got so delighted for a life sign that he jumped around him.

"No one does anything until I give a sign." the old physician said, and the two men nodded.

Then the elder walked over to the other side of Varian's bed. There, he signalized for the King to approach so that they were facing him from both sides. This was a clever move, as they could both take action if something went wrong. He signalized to Lars to stand in the middle, and the red haired Prince obeyed without objecting. Fredric brought a stool by the end of the wall and decided to put himself in a lower level near the boy, as a way to attend less frightening to him, and sat down beside the bed. Lars leaned himself on the edge of the bed, looking with eager eyes for the boy to wake up.

From his lying position, Varian made another sound, and Phineas sat down on the bed beside his figure to touch his forehead. Varian slowly opened his eyes, but wasn't able to make anything out of his surroundings yet, only to make odd sounds of confusion. Ruddiger eagerly begun sniffing his master's face and patting it, and as the critters whiskers tickled, Varian made an odd sound while he wrinkled his nose and wagged his head a bit before slowly opening his heavy eyelids and smiled weakly at his friend.

"Nnngh... Hi, buddy." he managed to mumble.

Ruddiger got so relieved that he crooned loudly of delight as Varian clumsy led a hand gently tough his fur. He giggled low as the raccoon nudged his head to his cheek.

"Varian?" Phineas asked calmly. "Do you respond to me?"

"Whah... huh?" the confused boy asked, still with a blurred vision.

Phineas chuckled slightly at his comical appearance. "Are you alright, lad? You gave us quite a scare now."

"Uhm... Phini... Hi..." Varian closed his eyes hard a moment before looking at him with hazy eyes, his hand around Ruddiger. "Still... in the Castle?" he mumbled.

"Still in the Castle." the physician replied smiling.

"Nnaah..." was his respond.

Phineas looked up at Fredric and gave him a nod, as a sign that he could make his move. Feeling a bit nervous at sudden, Fredric cleared his throat silently and looked at him.

"H-hello, son?" he said carefully, his voice trembling as he spoke.

Varian's head went right to his left at the sound of his voice, the boy's drowsy, blue eyes facing his.

"D-Dad?"


	27. Chapter 26 Varian and the King

**Chapter 26: Varian and the King**

**I'm spoiling you with a long chapter here. Last episode is almost there. Gotta admit, the ending of the last one made me incredibly curious. I hope they manage to give something else than a cliché in the end. I'm actually disappointed there are no more episodes than this, just so they could fill in some other stuff that might be still a question to many. They did actually promise us that season 3 would have the longest amount of episodes. Failed to keep their promise... **

**Anyway... I hope this one is pleasing. And... I'm keeping the name Karen on the maid. Not that Faith was a bad choice, but I stick to my stuff! **

For a moment Fredric lost his courage and felt panic run thought his body. He almost fell backwards from the stool, but managed somehow to keep himself up sitting. He looked at Phineas for advice, and the physician smiled and lowered his hand to indicate that he was to remain calm. So Fredric took a deep breath to gather himself and calm his pounding heart, preparing for whatever would come, forcing himself to face the boy's confused, huge eyes.

Varian's eyelids were twitching again, and he blinked hard a few times to get his vision clear. He rose a hand to his eyes and gave them a slight rub before he eyed him again, squinting with his whole face while he studied him.

"You're not my dad...?" he realized at sudden and eyed him up and down. Then it was like he realized who it was before him, as his blue eyes became huge and he made a shocked cry while he jumped up and crawled back as far as he were able to get in the bed. Clearly having the King's harsh order from minutes earlier in mind, he was terrified and gave short breath between clenched teeth and searching for a place to hide. Again, Ruddiger were startled, and this time he jumped down and hid under the bed behind Fredric.

"What is going on?" his large blue eyes were flicking in all directions, but his face were still turned towards the King.

"N-now now, lad. Take it easy, don't be afraid." Fredric begun and held up his hands and lowered them downwards like Phineas had done a moment ago. Then he tried to reach out a hand towards him, but it only cause the shocked and confused boy to withdraw and almost fall of the bed on the other side and he clenched to the back of the bed to prevent himself from falling, not really believing what was happening.

"How do you... I-I-I-I- m-me-ean-you-you-you're..." his voice broke as he drew his breath in hitching gasps.

"Please please, take it easy, Varian. I am not going to harm you." Fredric said, not certain of how to approach the boy. So he lowered his hands completely and keep a little distance. "I... I want to eh... apologize for... being so harsh a moment ago. I... I assure you I meant nothing with it, and I am truly sorry if I frightened you. That was the last thing I wanted."

"How do you know my name? I mean, Your Majesty...? What...?" the panicked boy said, but was interfered by Phineas touching his shoulder, giving him a second scare and gave a loud, squeaky cry.

"Now stop this, lad. Don't embarrass yourself in front of His Majesty. He's not gonna eat you."

Varian didn't seem to realize what was going on and kept looking back and forth at the king and the Physician. "B-but it's... His Majesty- right..." he pointed a naked finger towards Fredric without really managing to keep it properly steady.

"Don't point at the King, Varian. That's rude!" the physician said as he gently laid a steady hand at Varian's trembling, pointing finger to lower it down. "There, that's a good boy."

This seemed to sink in though, as the boy turned his gaze down with a shameful and embarrassed look on his face, blushing rapidly, wishing more than ever that he could vanish into thin air as he leaned his back towards the back of the bed again and raised his knees as high up as he could and trying in vain to hide himself behind them. He looked so poorly that Fredric got a sting in his heart and immediately felt sorry for him. He couldn't help but notice this awkward difference from the sassy angry boy he was used to. He looked helpless and frightened, and even younger than he was. Fredric hoped that he hadn't lost so much memory that he thought he was just an eight year old. So when he spoke again, he did his best to sound common and less frightening.

"Now now, that's alright. I... I understand that the boy must be a little confused now, so I take no offence." Fredric dared to stretch out a hand on his shoulder. Varian twitched a little at the sudden touch, just like a wild dog who got startled by the sudden touch of a strange human. The boy dared at last to look up to find if it was real or not, looking from the hand and up to his Majesty and back to the hand again, tensing up as he did as his blue eyes flicked.

"The King is touching me..." he said between clenched teeth, mostly to himself. "This is nothing but weird..." He gave a trembling, nervous laughter as he looked down. "Weird, indeed..."

Fredric arched an eyebrow at him and let go of him. Right now, Varian was nothing like that rude, sassy brat that had threatened all of Corona. Right now he looked more like a wild rabbit who had just realized he was trapped and searched desperately for a way out. As the act of touching seemed to be rather odd, almost strange to him, Fredric became more confused than worried.

"His Majesty didn't mean to frighten you, Varian." Lars said as he approached Fredric, smiling calmly to him.

"But-but-but Lars, I... I mean , Prince Lars... Prince Grace... I mean, Your Grace..."

Lars gave a short laugh over Varian's confused and disturbed attempt of polite manners before looking at him with friendly eyes. "Just Lars, Varian. And don't worry about King Fredric here. He might be the King of Corona, but he is also just a man who apologizes for his behavior. Why don't you treat him as such?"

"But I... I can't call HIM Lars-No... I mean Fred- No, I can't just... call him by..." he looked from Lars to the King, insecure like never before and grabbed a hold on both sides of his head as he gave a frustrated moan.

"Look now, son..." Fredric cleared his throat again, a sound that made Varian shrink again, giving the appearance of a child who were awaiting scolding from his parent, and so Fredric tried to look as harmless as he could by giving him a friendly smile. "I think maybe we got a bad start here. What do you say we eh... start from scratch like civilized people. Shall we?"

When he got no respond at first, he gave s light sigh. "Come on, my boy. I'm not really that frightening, am I?"

"Eh.. n-no no... I..." Varian didn't face him, but peeked his eyes at him as he almost curled his fingers together. Then at last he dared to look directly at him, or turn his head towards him while he flicked his huge blue eyes back and forth. He turned back towards Phineas a moment, as to ask him what to do, but the friendly, calm physician only smiled and nodded and gave him a sign to turn back to His Majesty. Varian swallowed hard and rubbed a finger insecurely under his nose before he cleared his throat.

"Hehe... So... Your Majesty...? I..." he failed to keep his nervous laughter in a leach while he spoke and grabbed a hold on his left arm behind his knees. "I... I should reeealy, I mean I-I don't know... I have a feeling I should really-I-I should be the one apologizing since I apparently have caused quite a commotion or trouble or... mess... or somehow... I confess that I honestly don't know how I got into your kitchen- I mean Your Majesty's royal kitchen... Geez, that sounded allot better in my head..." he mumbled the last sentence between clenched teeth before going on, trying not to control his nervousness. "Anyway, in the kitchen... where I apparently scared the heck out of the poor maid in there, and I'm pretty sure I deserved that frying pan in my head. Not that I remember, but it was probably my fault. I bet it was..." He giggled insecurely and looked shortly at the King to see if he still followed while he gave a foolish smile. "Quite a mess, huh? But... don't ask me how, because, like I said, I... I don't recall, and..." he found himself looking down at his own appearance, blushing as he glanced quickly at the King, and hurried to look away in a hurry while he suddenly flung his arms around his knees as if to hide his appearance. "...for some reason I don't think I even _want_ to know myself how I got into this mess, and..."

Fredric didn't really know why he suddenly started laughing, but all of a sudden that was the only sound in the room. Perhaps it was the comical appearance of the boy, or his complete different behavior. Or maybe it was just for being relieved over not being forced to be so strict with him. He suddenly realized why Phineas thought he was amusing, because indeed that's what he appeared as right now. Anyway, Fredric suddenly felt a little lighter and he found it far easier when he spoke again.

"Well, what if we just..." he cleared his throat. "...forget all about it all, then? Let's not mention it again, and just... go on."

Varian and couldn't help but look at him at what he said. As their eyes met, His Majesty smiled. "Don't worry, son. It doesn't matter. The important part is that you're doing fine." Fredric noticed something stroking his legs and discovered Ruddiger, who had peeked out from under the bed. "Why, there you are, little fellow." he said, and Ruddiger begun climbing up to his knee.

"But but it does matter, since I am..." he looked around the room with huge eyes and clenched teeth, but he never managed to finish off the sentence as he suddenly became aware that Ruddiger sitting on the King's lap, about to climb up his arm, and immediately panicked.

"Ruddiger, what are you doing?! Don't touch His Majesty!" he scowled and grabbed a hold on him and lifted him off his arm while he gave His Majesty an overwhelming excusing look. "I'm so sorry about that. I don't understand what's going on with him. I mean, he normally don't interfere with strangers, and..." he turned to face the critter. "Are you aware of what you're doing?"

Ruddiger looked confused at him and didn't really understand why his master were so afraid and refused him to let him be near what he considered a new friend by now.

Fredric laughed at the boy's scowling at the critter. "No no, don't worry. I don't mind him at all." he stretched out a hand to give him a scratch behind his ear, and, to Varian's disbelief, Ruddiger nudged his head towards the King's hand for more.

"He... seems to like Your Majesty. " Varian puzzled and blinked as he loosened up the grip of him, watching as Ruddiger made his way to the edge of the bed for more cuddle from the King. And even more, the King smiling warmly back at him.

"Oh yes, I have become quite found of him, actually." Fredric smiled down at him. "You know, he reminds me of when I was about nine... ten years old, I believe. I had a little squirrel visiting my bedroom window. I used to put out nuts for it and after a while, he got so tame that he dared to come into my room and play with me. I used to call him Nougat." He chuckled. "Perhaps not the most original name, but... He was my best friend for a while."

This unexpected theme seemed to catch the boy's interest. "Wow... Really? Your Majesty had a squirrel? That's... that's incredible!"

"Oh yes, we had lot's of fun. He had the softest bushy tail you could imagine. And I even taught him tricks."

"Really?" Varian smiled and couldn't help but giggle. "I didn't know they could do that!"

"Oh yes, he was a clever one." Fredric sighed at the memory he had pushed back in his mind long time ago. But all of a sudden, he lost his smile. "Until Violet discovered him and told my father, who had the tree he climbed in from chopped down. And then both he and Violet each gave me a long lecture of what a young Prince were not to do." He suddenly became moody by the memory. "Well, I see now years later what they made such commotion about. But young as I was at the time, I failed to understand why they got all... nuts over a squirrel, if you know what I mean."

Both Phineas and Lars did their best to hide their overbearing expressions over the bad joke, but both of them turned towards Varian, who were busy covering he bubbly laughter that came from his mouth.

"Nuts over a squirrel..." he kept giggling.

"Oh? You got it then?" Fredric said. "You... thought that was funny?"

"Of course!" Varian didn't stop laughing as he snorted a respond. "It was hilarious... Your Majesty..."

Fredric found himself smiling. He knew very few people found his jokes funny and that people normally just gave the impression that they thought he was amusing. Therefore he couldn't help but feel a bit happy when he realized that someone actually laughed for real. So for a moment he found himself laughing along with him.

"So... So Violet really did that? I mean..." Varian said after calming down. Then he thought a moment, clearly recalling her strict command for him to stay in bed. "Yeah... I can imagine she would do that. You don't actually wanna quarrel with her."

"Oh do yourself a favor, son." the King smirked at him. "Don't!"

"I sure won't!" he said short and raised a hand as if he was swearing an oath.

The King felt so relieved that he laughed again, and Varian actually managed to laugh with him this time. It seemed that the ice wall that the King had spoken about were about to melt. The boy seemed more relaxed, and this made Fredric feel less tense as well. Maybe this would get better than he feared?

"Ehm... May I ask, without going into details, uhm..." "He closed his hands together. "Considering if Your Majesty has gotten to know him... Ruddiger, I mean... That means that perhaps I- I mean we... have probably been here a while... or..."

Realizing he had given himself away, Fredric cleared his throat and drew his breath silently. He immediately turned his head away, suddenly frightened to face the boy's eyes, realizing that he didn't know at all what to say to him.

"What?" Varian asked, getting a bit worried again, and looked at him with huge, blue eyes. "What is it You Majesty don't wanna tell me?"

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"But Stan, shouldn't we at least inform the Captain about Varian?" Pete panted after his friend.

"Nonsense! If the Queen say it is alright, then it must be. I bet the Captain has already taken care of him. Why else would she send us off to another errand?"

"Well, you have a point..." Pete replied, although not fully convinced.

As they approached the kitchen, Stan were to push the door open, but Pete stopped him.

"No, Stan! Remember how we scared Karen when we just busted in like that? Don't you think we should knock first now?"

"Oh?" Stan said as he realized their previous fail. "That's right. We should knock this time!"

"Well thought, Stan!" Pete said and watched as Stan gave a steady knock on the door.

"Karen, is that you dear?" they heard a voice from inside and watched as Violet opened the door, but she got confused when she spotted them. "Oh my, what is it?"

"Violet? We have been told to tell you that Karen has been found, and that the prisoner is alright!"

Violet stood and blinked disturbed. "What?"

"No, Stan, it was the other way around!" Pete corrected. "Karen is the one who is alright, and the Queen had found the prisoner." then he stopped himself. "No wait... Don't say it, I've got it... The Queen said that the Captain had taken care of the prisoner."

"Right!" Stan replied. "That's how it was!"

"Excuse me, but..." Violet made her way through the door. "But have you met with Karen?"

"No, but the Queen said she was alright." Stan said and looked at Pete. "See? I got it right this time."

"Yes, but where is she?" Violet asked.

"What?" Pete and Stan said in unison.

"Where is Karen? Have you seen her?"

"Eh... no. _We_ haven't seen her." Pete said. "But _the Queen_ said she was alright. And when Her Majesty say it's alright, then..."

"But what did Her Majesty say?" Violet said as she grabbed the slender guard by his arms and shook him hard, making him unable to reply. "Did she tell where she was? And had that horrible prisoner touched her?"

"No Ma'am, but we can assume that Her Majesty would have told if there were..."

"But do you know WHERE she is?" she raised her voice, her eyes getting wider inpanic.

"Eh..." Pete said.

"Ahem..." Stan said.

None of them replied and looked at eachother before they spoke.

"No..." Pete said.

"Not exactly..." Stan said. "But the Queen had seen her."

"And did the Queen tell you where where was?"

"No..." Stan said.

"Not exactly..." Pete said.

"And what about my daughter Millicent? Have you seen her?"

"Eh..." Stan said.

"Ahem..." Pete said.

The normally calm and quiet maid rolled her eyes and gave a heavy sigh. "Isn't that just typical? I knew I should have gone myself! Now, come here, lads!" Both guards were shocked as the old maid suddenly grabbed a hold on them and dragged them inside the kitchen.

"Now listen carefully. I want you to stay here and keep an eye on the food while I go look for either of them. You keep cutting vegetables..." She pushed Pete towards the board where she had been dealing with carrots. "And you make sure the turkey doesn't get burned." she pushed Stan to the huge oven where the turkey were warming up. "Just turn a little on it from time to time. And in the meantime, stir the sausage. It's important that it doesn't separate, and don't let it get burned." Then she hurried over to the door.

"But... Violet?" Pete said turning after her with a desperate look. "You can't just..."

"Just do as I say, and I'll be right back!" she said and before the two guards could say anything, she had disappeared out of the kitchen, slamming the door behind her.

"What do we do now, Stan?" Pete said and looked helplessly at the half finished vegetables in front of him.

"Well... we have done what we were told to do." Stan said and looked from the door to the turkey. After eyeing it a bit he had a look at the sausage and gave it a little stir. Then he got curious and sniffed it. "Mmm, cream sausage!" he said.

"Stan, focus!" Pete said strict. "We're royal guards, not chef assistants. We know nothing of cooking!"

"Oh, I'm not so sure, Pete..." Stan said and walked over to him and eyed the vegetables, and the casserole with the already cut vegetables were cooking. "I have seen my wife do this a couple of times. Violet has already done the difficult part of preparing everything. All we need to do is finishing it off."

"But..." Pete looked at him, and the vegetables, then Stan again. "How?"

"Simple. Just cut up more of these and add it into the casserole and stir them together. And I just walk back and forth between the sausage and the turkey."

"Speaking of your wife..." Pete said. "Maybe it would have been a better idea if maybe you went home and asked her for help?"

"Are you fooling with me?" Stan gave him an angry glare. "She's far too long through her pregnancy now. I can't ask her to rush up here and stress with the royal dinner!"

"Ah... right. That might not be a good idea." Pete said, looking away. "But... "

"Just focus on your task, and I'll focus on mine." Stan said and walked back to the oven with the turkey.

"Oh, alright..." Pete said and grabbed a hold on the knife. "But I sure hope Violet doesn't take too long." He grabbed a carrot and eyed it up and down. "Do you think it matter is I split them up in half before cutting them?"

"Just don't make them too big."

From beside the bench, Caterpillar was watching with half open green eyes. The cat had originally been keeping its eyes locked on the turkey, but as the guards entered the room, he became curious and wondered how the clumsy men would manage to handle this task. The turkey would be worth waiting for anyway, but some entertainment weren't out of the way.


	28. Chapter 27 Explaining to Varian

**Chapter 27: Explaining to Varian **

**Okay... so the series are over. In a way it's kind of a relief so we don't get it going on forever and then would have gotten itself ruiend, a fate many good series have suffered when they are draw out too long. I hate when that happens. Although, I am deeply disappointed as we are left with so many unanswered questions; Varian's hairstripe; Varian's mother, Eugene's mother; Quirin's note; Heck, did Quirin even learn about Varian's actions during his amber-state? It's not likely something like THAT would stay hidden like nothing. The whole Kingdom hated him, for goodness sake. **

**Speaking of, I feel a need to explain myself to my latest review. Note! This is no offence, I just feel a need to clear out something. I don't know if you have followed this story long, but I begun writing this already during last summer and published it in about September 2019, when we had yet to learn of Varian's fate. And I know when first episode of S3 were released it said Varian ended up as Andrew's cell mate. But really; When King Fredric had promised to help him, I find that a little... I just found it disturbing and unlikely that Fred would put him in a cell with another bad buy. That's the last thing he needed. So in my story, he had no cell mate, only Ruddiger, and the story went on as it has so far. And as a fanfiction, I feel allowed to take liberties to let it develop according to my own will, and therefore I choose not to follow any timeline, or at least twist it for my own use. That's what fanfiction is for; there really is no need for timeline. You can do whatever you want with it. I hope this helps sorting things out. Now, let's go on. **

"May I interfere here?"

Both the worried monarch and the concerned teenager turned towards Phineas, and found the old Physician smiling calmly at the boy.

"I must apologize, Varian. I am afraid I might have frightened His Majesty with your condition, and therefore he fears to say anything more. You might have understood already that I have held something back from you?"

"You don't have to say it, I think I know what it is." Varian said as he lowered his gaze. "I... I don't remember what it's called, but... eh... Karen said it was... beginning of May. And it is, right? Because the science expo has obviously been, and... I've just missed out... allot." He carefully leaned back on the back of the bed, but turned his gaze upwards to face him. "That's why you covered the windows... so I wouldn't see what time of year it was... Right?"

Phineas nodded as a reply. "Yes, Varian. Don't be frightened now, but Karen is correct. It is May, and not September as you thought. You are missing parts of your memory. It's called Amnesia.* But I should have known someone as quick in the wits as yourself would figure it out by himself." he smiled, and the slight portion of recognition helped to put a small smile on Varian's concerned face. "I wasn't done examinating you yet, so I didn't dare to reveal too much for you at once. I feared you might get a grand shock if you got it smashed right in your face. You've had enough for that for one day it seems." He let his fingers gently glide across the bandage on his head.

Varian shivered a little at the touch. For a while he had actually forgotten his bandaged head.

"And I told His Majesty to be a little careful with this, and He has taken this rather seriously, as he fears he'll cause more damage to you."

"He... He does?" Varian blinked and turned around to face His Majesty, still half hidden behind his knees.

The King looked embarrassed, but when he looked up, he smiled warmly. "You see, son, I... I would never forgive myself if something happened to the son of an old dear friend of mine. Especially if I were to be blamed... for it." His Majesty looked away, not really able to face the boy at those words.

"Wow, that's... I don't know what to say." The boy looked smiled and overwhelmed and moved. "That's really... Wait wait wait!" Varian suddenly interrupted himself and stared at the King with wide eyes. "Your Majesty knows my dad too?"

"Yes, we're old friends. Long time ago, before you and even my daughter were born." Fredric said and arched an eyebrow. "Hasn't he ever told you... about that?"

Varian shook his head confused. This made Fredric confused as well. "He... he hasn't?"

"Nope!" the boy replied. "I guess I would have remembered something like that. Unless of course it happen between... September and May, if I got that right... That's quite a huge... gap." he giggled nervously and twisted his hands as he spoke. "But then again..." He sank back to the bed frame again. "He doesn't tell me much."

"Really?" Fredric arched an eyebrow of this. Was this the same boy that would go to the length of kidnapping a member of the royal family and commit treason against the kingdom for the sake of his father? "But I had the impression that you two were very... close?"

"Eh... I don't know where His Majesty's gotten that from, but... without going into details... he doesn't bother me with... much. I mean... He doesn't often... It doesn't matter. But speaking of it... I suppose Your Majesty has already hard this a billion times, but..." Varian suddenly became eager and lowered his knees, an easy sign that the boy was lowering his guard, crossed his legs halfway and faced Fredric. "It must be fantastic to have her back! The Princess I mean, Your Majesty's... daughter. It's so... I don't even have words for it. I think it's so great, and... And imagine that Flynn Rider saved her, and... " His huge blue eyes got sparkly at sudden and his smile widened and he looked at him the same way a dog looked at you when hoping for a treat. "Is it really true that he lives here at the Castle?

"Eh..." Fredric was a little whipped off the branch by the boy's sudden excitement about both his daughter and her boyfriend.

"You know; Flynn Rider! He hero of the books! Boy, I would DIE to meet him in person! Although not like this... I hope I..." He grabbed a hold on his shirt, suddenly recalling how he looked like. "Gosh, I hope he hasn't seen me like this..."

Fredric didn't know how to reply to this. He knew perfectly well that Eugene had created his legacy from the character in the book, Flynnigan Rider, but somehow it seemed like Varian had a little trouble realizing that Eugene really wasn't the character from the book. He found himself mute to this, but Lars chuckled in the background and approached.

"Poor lad. Your damage must be worse than we thought if you're not able to separate reality from fiction."

Varian gave a short overbearing laughter. "S'cuse me, Lars... He said I could call him Lars." he hurried to say to the King before he went on, while Fredric just nodded and smiled. "It's not fiction! Flynn Rider is real! So that!" he made a huge nod to indicate his final opinion. "His posters were all over the Kingdom. I have a huge collection of them."

"Varian..." Lars were unable to keep his laughter back. "You're mixing up the thief with the imagined character from a book."

"Hey, with all due respect... Eh- thee respect, or... with all..." Varian twirled his hands as he stumbled in his own words while trying to get the sentence right, before he looked at the King again, seeking assistance. "How do I say that right?"

The loud sound of Phineas clearing his throat and a hand on his shoulder made Varian silent again as he suddenly got a reminder of where he was. "Before you go on with the hero, my boy, let's go back to the Princess a moment. You see, this is the last subject I need to check on you before we revile more so called 'lost memory' to you. Alright?"

"Eh... Sure! But..." Varian said, a little nervous. "Isn't it a little unfitting to do a check up on me in front of His Majesty?"

"On the contrary, His Majesty cares about your welfare, and I'm sure he doesn't mind."

"I hope it's alright for you, son. But... It would mean allot to me to get fully confirmed that everything is alright with you." Fredric said, hoping to hide his insecurity. "I would feel much better if I were."

Varian blushed a little at the concern, as concern for him was something brand new to him. "Well... If it would help His Majesty feel better, then... Sure." he coughed. "As long as it doesn't involve..." he suddenly blushed hard and looked down.

Phineas smiled when he saw his suddenly bright red face, as the boy most likely feared that Phineas would force his clothes off. "Don't worry. I'm only going to ask you a few questions, and I want you to answer me as directly as possible. Can you do that?"

"Oh... Ehm... Sure. No problem!" Varian replied, slowly losing the blush, obviously reviled. Fredric and Lars exchanged looks and smiles.

"Good!" The Physician said. "It seems that you are known with the return of the long lost Princess. What is her name?"

"Rapunzel. Eh... Princess Rapunzel!" he corrected himself while he gesticulated with his hands.

"Good. When did she return?"

"Not long ago... Oh that's right, it's probably... Not half a year, but..." Phineas short cough snapped him back to reality, and he gave a simple answer. "The day after her eighteenth birthday. And if my memory is correct... Which it's not..." another couch made him focus. "I recall..." He began counting on his fingers. "...about six months, or five and a half... around that." He twirled his hands at the last words, as if to state the word 'around'.

While Varian spoke, Phineas begun walking around the bed, past Lars and ended up beside the King before turning back to the other side of the bed before making another round like that. "Good, good." the physician smiled calmly and kept the boy's look as he went on walking around him. "And, have you by any chance... gotten the opportunity of seeing the Princess for yourself?"

Fredric held his breath at this question. He had a feeling of where Phineas was going with this. About seven months ago, Varian would have encountered Rapunzel himself, six months after her return, like she told him before she left. From what he understood, it was about this amount of time it seemed like he was missing. But he remained quiet and trusted the wise old man to handle it.

Varian on the other hand immediately brightened up at the question. His huge blue eyes became twice their size and his mouth broke up in a huge smile. "Oh-oh yes, I HAVE seen her! Yes yes yes. You know, there was this HUGE party they made for her returning, and it lasted for a whole WHOLE week. And half of my village went to see her, and I begged my dad, I said 'Dad, can we PLEASE go and see her?'" He gathered his hands when he described himself. "But my Dad said 'No son, we don't mingle with royalties.' But i told him 'Oh come on, Dad. We don't have to meet her, I just want to see her.' But he said 'No Varian, we're not going.' " he put his hands on his hips and pretended to be strickt for a moment before describing himself again, "And then I said 'But Dad, please. It's the PRINCESS, the missing Princess everyone has been waiting for, besides everyone else is going, and...'" Varian weren't able to continue when he felt a hand covering his mouth, and looked up to meet the Physician's chuckling face as he took a break from his round and leaned one hand on the edge of the bed.

"I'm glad to hear that the rest of your memory is perfectly intact. You know, if I had your memory, I wouldn't need my journals." He drew his breath before he went on. "But you haven't answered the question. Now did you, or did you not see the Princess with your own eyes?"

While the boy was eagerly describing the conversation with his father, Fredric found himself deeper and deeper into his own mind. Quirin had obviously tried to prevent him from going to see Rapunzel, or for any other reason kept him from leaving the village. A shadow made its way on his face, as he once again were reminded on how the boy's father had been the one who warned him to remove the sundrop flower.

But it wasn't just regret and concern that made him wrinkle his forehead. It was curiosity. From what he had heard now, Fredric got the feeling that Quirin had done the same with Varian as he had done with Rapunzel. And even more, it seemed that the boy didn't get out much either. If it turned out that the boy had in general little contact with the world, it could explain why he believed that Eugene was the character in the book. Fredric got a feeling that there might be more to discover with Varian than they had thought.

Varian nodded steady. "Yes! I did see her. Only at distance, when she was dancing with some little girls. I thought for a moment that since it looked like everyone else came to her, maybe she wouldn't mind that I at least tried. But my dad said 'No Varian. We're not to bother the royalties!' But I..." when he faced Phineas again, he laughed nervously. "I lost myself again, right?"

"I'm almost done now. My last question for you." this time he stopped by the end of the bed again and looked directly at him. "What did the Princess look like? Describe her to me, if you please?"

Fredric froze as he heard the last question, and he found himself biting his bottom lip in tension. Lars noticed how tense he became and obviously realized that this was of vital importance.

"Oh oh, eh... She wasn't very tall, a little taller than me, I think. She wore a pink dress and had short brown hair, I heard she had enormously long blond hair once, but that it became brown again when she had it cut off." He laughed at this. "Honestly, I have trouble believing in that. After all, people don't change their hair color like that."

"Oh, don't be so certain of that, son." Fredric mumbled.

"Huh?" Varian quickly turned his head around towards him, startling Fredric a moment, but Phineas broke the awkward tension that would have been.

"At least now we know where his memory ends."

"May I ask, why is Princess Rapunzel so important for my memory..." he stopped himself and gave a loud gasp before he turned to Fredic with an exited look on his face, his huge eyes threatening to pop out of his head. "Did I get to meet her after all... WOAW...!" he cried out as he leaned forwards and would have fallen right on his face hadn't Lars hurried to lean forward and catch him and Phineas grabbed a hold on the back of his shirt.

"Easy now, lad." the physician said as they brought him back in bed. "I thought to recall that you promised to stay in bed?"

The look he gave him was mild, but reminding, and Varian bit his bottom lip as he gave an embarrassing giggle. "Sure sure... Right." he cleared his throat as he suddenly got a tad more serious. "Mind if I ask... Does this have anything to do with my village... being abandoned?"

"Eh... Listen, son... I don't know what you have been told, but..." Fredric looked at Phineas, then at Lars. The red haired Prince had chosen to let Phineas handle the situation, but now he faced them with an excusing look at the physician and cleared his throat.

"I... may have forgotten myself for a moment and... I mentioned that there's no one living in Old Corona now, and..."

Phineas broke him off by raising a hand towards him behind Varian's back so Varian didn't see it.

"Karen... she said there were something going on all over the kingdom... something with rocks, and..." Varian suddenly said, carefully facing the King again. "Y-your Maj-jesty?" he stumbled. "Is there something I need to know about my village? And my dad? Is my dad okay?" he failed to keep his voice from trembling, and to stay polite as he leaned forward towards him with huge, questioning and worried eyes.

_Why does he have to look at me like that?_ Fredric thought to himself as he stared into the boy's right now innocent, blue eyes. At the same time, he hoped the boy didn't see how much he froze at the mentioning of Quirin. To gather himself, and give himself just a slight moment to come up with anything to say, he rose and begun walking around, clearing his voice loudly a moment. "Well you see, son... There has been something going on that has made _several_ places around the Kingdom- Not just Old Corona... uninhabitable. Old Corona has unfortunately been stricken worst, and..."

"Yes, I heard that. But what about all the others? Are they alright? And my dad, what...?" Varian was so impatient right now that he could barely hold himself.

"All the citizens of Old Corona has been moved to another location where they are safe and sound. You don't have to worry about your friends."

"Oh no, they're not really my... I-I mean... G-god to hear." the boy stumbled. "But... I don't understand. If they are somewhere else... why am I... here... And where is my dad?"

Fredric swallowed. He realized too late that he hadn't prepared himself for this. All he had prepared for was to make Varian understand that he could trust him, but he hadn't managed to imagine how to deal with the fact that he was here. "Eh... You see, son..." He had to think fast now. For the moment, anything than the truth. After seeing his reaction earlier, he realized that the actual state of his father would be way too much to handle for him now. He didn't' dare to let him go through another fit like earlier. But what excuse could he possibly use to explain Quirin's absence?

_What would Rapunzel have wanted me to say? _

_What to say about Quirin... _

Quirin...

Rapunzel...

The scroll...

As his thoughts were pondering, the scroll came sneaking into his mind like a lightning, and suddenly gave him and idea of what to tell him. It could work, it definitely could work. At least it would be worth trying. He recalled Lars' words from earlier.

_It's called holding back the truth until he's ready for it. _

If one thing were certain now, it was that Varian was far from ready for the truth. So he turned around and faced him, clearing his throat nervously again before he gave the best explanation he could come up with at the moment, hoping with all his heart it would do.


	29. Chapter 28 Varian Confused

**Chapter 28: Varian Confused **

**So we are more or less stuck all of us. Good time for writing though. That's the plan anyway. Struggling to manage chapters for all my stories. Typical to get stuck on some of them in important turns. I wish you all a healthy quarantine time and pray we get this Corona-issue (can't help but laugh a little at the choice of name) over with as fast as possible. Now, back to our boy and HIS issues. **

**Also, better give the note; Although the young maid has been named by the writers as Faith now, I am keeping the name Karen as this is how I feel I know her now. **

"Captain, this is getting us nowhere!" Nigel complained. "I bet the animal is already long gone." The snobbish advisor were not the type to get his clothes filthy or waste his time crawling on the floor, and looking for critters were far on the bottom of his list of important doings.

"I doubt that very indeed." The Captain said as he got up on his feet after looking under a curtain. "One can say many things about Varian, but the raccoon is another case. It has never been locked up and could have fled anytime it wanted, but it has remained by Varian's side ever since we arrested him."

"But that means that if he's not anywhere ..." Nigel became all white in his face and grabbed a hold on both his cheeks. "What if Varian has managed to find him before us and get then get out of the castle? He could be anywhere, and..."

The advisor never managed to finish his sentence as he suddenly heard the sound of someone huffing and puffing behind him. As they turned around, they found Violet panting as she ran towards them, and then stopped to catch her breath. Her face and neck were red from exhaustion and her eyes were panicked. "Gentlemen... Thank goodness I found you..." she wasn't able to finish her sentence as she begun coughing.

"Violet, what on earth..." the Captain said and turned to face her.

"Have you seen Karen?" she cried out when she managed to swallow to moisture her throat.

"Yes, I did see her, Violet." Nigel said and got small eyes and place his hands on his hips. "But she refused to follow my instructions of going to her room, and..."

"So where is she now?" Violet interrupted him.

"She..." Nigel found himself unable to answer her question. "Like I said, I saw her a while ago..."

The plump elderly maid sighed. "Captain?"

"I... Karen was in the corridor further away with both us and the Majesties not long ago, and I doubt the Majesties would leave her unprotected."

"At least tell me you have taken care of the prisoner?" she said and turned to the Captain with folded hands.

"We... have yet to find him, Ma'am." the Captain replied.

"What...?" her up shaken red face lost all color. "But... your guards ensured me that you had... caught him already!"

Now it was the Captain who lost color from his face. "And which of my guards were that?" the Captain asked, doing his best to remain calm.

"Those two who never manage to explain themselves properly!" Violet said, getting more and more frustrated.

"Sounds like Pete and Stan..." he said and facepalmed himself. "What AM I going to DO with them?"

"But... Could it be that someone else had found him?" Nigel said hopeful.

"And not let me know about it? Violet! Wait!" the Captain said frustrated as she ran past them. "Where are those two baboons now?"

"I left them at the kitchen to look after the food while I'm gone." she said as she looked back at them.

"The kitchen?" both the Captain and the advisor cried out, eyes threatening to pop out of their eyes as they exchanged looks and raised eyebrows.

"Well, I couldn't leave the dinner unattended, could I?" she said and hurried on away from them.

"Well, that was just..." the Captain frowned and turned on his heel. "Someone has a bit of explaining to do!"

"Captain, where are you going?" Nigel cried after him.

"To the kitchen!" he replied and begun running to the direction Violet had come from. "I need to get to the bottom of this..." And by that, he disappeared around the corner.

As he watched the Captain and the maid go in opposite directions, Nigel found himself left in the middle, uncertain of what to do next. As he hated to be ignored, he let out an angry cry and looked up at the roof and sighed. "Maybe my mother was right. I should have become a secretary. Less stress and less... running." Then after a short pondering, he found it necessary to take actions, and concluded that since the Captain had already gone to the kitchen, he found it wisest to follow the maid. So he too made a turn and ran.

#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#

"So... Let me see if I've got this right..." Varian gesticulated and twirled with his hands as if it would help him get control of the situation. "My dad has... gone with Princess Rapunzel on her important journey to... far away somewhere to look after her, while Your Majesty's supposed to... look after me?" He pointed a naked finger towards himself as he looked at Fredric with blue eyes full of questions.

Fredric nodded and faced the boy with a smile. "Correct! That's correct. I gave my word that I would... make sure you were alright." This was only half the truth, but he knew that Rapunzel would have wanted him to make sure he was comfortable. And at the moment, this was the only possible way he could keep his promise to his daughter. And the only way he could explain his father's absence without giving him another shock.

But Varian didn't seem convinced and gave the King a skeptic look. "Well, I must confess that I find that hard to believe!"

"Well, can you think of any other logical explanation to come up with, son?" Fredric said, and suddenly stopped himself when he saw that the boy was about to start thinking. "No no no, by the way, don't think! It's not good for your condition. Just believe me when I say that you don't have to worry about yourself, or... or anything!"

"Eh..." The boy found himself unable to reply, and let out a frustrated moan. "But... that doesn't make any sense. I..."

"Don't tell me you doubt His Majesty, Varian?" Lars broke in, looking with small eyes and a calm smile at him.

"No no no, I-I didn't mean... I'm sorry, I don't want to sound like I'm ungrateful, it's just that... Why didn't Your Majesty just tell me that from the start?"

Fredric looked at Phineas again, and the old physician turned towards Varian and spoke.

"Listen, son..." Phineas broke in, placing a hand on his lanky shoulder, making him turn around to face him. "His Majesty didn't want to do anything to push your brain into remembering too much when you're still hurt. And I don't think it's a good idea to let you know too much too fast either. After all, we saw you react rather badly when you tried it just now."

"But... couldn't we just try again? I'm not afraid..." Varian tried, but Phineas gave a short grunt to interrupt him.

"We can, and we will...When I say so. We must let you heal first. Think of the wound in your head. Do you think it will stop bleeding if we keep poking it?"

"No!" Varian felt almost dizzy by just thinking of the blood he had seen today.

"Right. It needs to be left in peace so it can mend. And that's what your brain needs as well. Just let what little you have learned now sink in, and then we will take it all in time. Alright?"

"Eh..." the boy looked down on his lap of crossed legs, where Ruddiger had taken place on his apron during the explanation, and put his naked hand on is fur, unable to hold back a frustrated and dissatisfied moan as he made a face.

Phineas sat down in front of him on the bed. "Come on, lad. I had the impression that you trusted me, scientist to scientist?"

Varian looked up at him again. "What? Why, I- don't get me wrong, I do, of course. It's just..." he struggled to find words, then after a moment he let out a heavy sigh and looked up at him with lost eyes. "I'm not sure I like this."

"Why, you have nothing to be worried about." Phineas laid a hand on his shoulder and gave him a friendly smile. "I promise that we will revile to you what you need to know, but not today. You cannot rush the brain before its ready, no matter how much you disagree. And when it..."

He was interrupted when Varian suddenly bent forward and got a rather painful expression on his face while giving a loud moan. Ruddiger woke up from his doze and immediately became alert, jumping some steps away and looking at him with deep concern, and a little frightened.

"Are you alright, Varian?" Fredric said, suddenly deeply worried as he approached next to the bed. Lars too got concerned, and all three watched him, suddenly worried that he had another fit of headache. But then a loud, rumbling sound made them all realize what was the matter.

"Oh gosh-oh..." Varian held both hands on his belly and bent forward, his face all twisted. " Aaah... Feels like I haven't eaten for a year. Where... where did that carrot go?" He franticly begun looking around for the carrot he had found in his sleeve a while ago.

Fredric couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh of relief, not only because it wasn't anything serious with him, but because he finally showed sign of normal appetite. "Ah, at last..." he whispered to himself, but covered his mouth quickly, hoping the boy didn't hear him.

Phineas laughed. "But lad, I'll make sure to get you a proper meal. Right, Your Majesty?"

"Certainly!" Fredric replied, relieved that nothing were severely wrong with him, and that they could change the subject. "I will see to it at once." Then he turned around and headed for the door.

"What?" Varian forgot about the carrot and looked up at the King with a look of disbelief. "But your Majesty, there's no need..." He were interrupted by his belly rumbling again. "Quiet with you!" he said and gave his belly a nudge.

Fredric couldn't help but laugh a little himself as he gave him a last look. "Now son, I can't let you go around hungry, can I? My dau... Eh... Your father would never forgive me. What kind of hospitality would that be?"

The boy was about to object, but Lars stepped in front of him.

"Varian, I think you should just let yourself be taken care of now in your state." Lars smiled as he walked to his side. "Have some food and a good night sleep, and tomorrow morning, when we've all have had some rest, I'll bring Daniel and visit you again. Doesn't that sound like a good idea?"

"Eh..." Realizing that he was tied up all over, Varian leaned back on the bed with a sigh. "Alright." he said, trying not to sound frustrated.

"That's good, son. Take care in the meantime." Lars said and gave Varian a gentle rustle in his messy black hair. Although when he turned around to leave, he got startled when Varian squeaked a sneeze behind him.

"Perhaps..." Phineas failed to keep back a chuckle. "A meal and then a bath so we can wash that pepper out of your hair, what?"

"Eh..." Varian wiped his nose with the back of his still gloved hand, rather embarrassed. "If you say so..."

Fredric had to cover his mouth to hide a chuckle, as he had a slight idea of where that pepper had emerged from. Something told him Varian had gotten a slight taste of his own medicine after all.

"Pepper?" Lars sighed. "Has Daniel started already?"

"Huh?" Varian arched an eyebrow at him.

"What on earth do you mean?" Fredric asked as he opened the door.

"Well, you see..." Lars begun, but he stopped right when he and Fredric were about to leave the room. All four in the room got all silent as they all became aware of the sound coming from the reception room.

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"Violet! Please stop. I need an explanation on this." Nigel caught up with her and blocked her way and spoke with the most demanding voice he was able to give to get her attention. "Violet! I need to you to tell me something! Did you see Karen after Her Majesty and I told you about the prisoner? Because if you did, why on earth did you not warn her about him? She didn't seem like she understood the danger at all."

"Yes, I did see her. But..." She suddenly lowered her gaze and looked shameful."I am afraid I forgot all about that when we found that poor boy in the kitchen."

"A boy? In the kitchen?" Nigel's eyes became wide as eggs.

"Yes. And what a dreadful condition he was in. Didn't look like he had much of either food or care for weeks. Not to mention how much he needed a bath." She wrinkled her nose.

"Oh for goodness sake!" Nigel gasped and grabbed a hold on his hair from both sides. "What did he do?"

Violet gave a short description of how Karen had been startled and struck him down with the frying pan, fainted by the sight of his own blood and how they had carried him to the sick room. Nigel's jaw threatened to hit the floor by the time she was finished.

"So he WAS the boy in the sick room! Thank goodness! Then he is located after all!" He drew his breath and let put a sigh. "So she managed to single handed take Varian down with nothing but a frying pan? My word, what a daredevil that girl has become."

"For goodness sake, Nigel, what are you..." But then she stopped herself and blinked. "But... do you know Varian? Then maybe you can tell me how he got in there in the first place?"

Nigel had to struggle not to faint and made some odd chocked cries before he was able to speak. "But in the name of the sweet sun, Violet... Have you any idea of who that boy is?"

"No, but it appears that you do! Would you care to share it with me?"

Nigel drew his breath deeply through his large nose, and looked at her with strict eyes. "Dear Violet, you better prepare yourself for a shock!"


	30. Chapter 29 Kitchen Guards

**Chapter 29: Kitchen Guards **

**Back with another chapter, at last. Thank you all new and old reviewers for your reply, it's so fun to see what you all think. **

**You're right, mycove and AiLinhD, this is a dangerous game indeed, considering whom they're dealing with, Fred is taking a heck of a chance and it can go anywhere from this point. However, there's more to come, and I hope you'll stay and follow on. **

**NOTE: I've put an EASTER EGG in this one! Not sure if there's be many people noticing. I've never put out an easter egg like this before, so I'll just give it a try. A little detail, maybe you'll find it? I'll give a little hint; it's a detail I've borrowed from another series, NOT a modern one. Put it out if you'll manage to find it. Good luck! **

While Violet was getting an explanation from Nigel and Varian was getting an explanation from the King, Caterpillar was watching the two odd humans in armor doing chores they had never done before. Especially the skinny one, were having trouble with the knife and would constantly loose small pieces of carrots on the floor. The other one were walking back and forth between the turkey and sauce.

He wasn't sure about the big one, but the skinny one, Pete, had always had a soft spot for him. He had smelled another cat on Pete, but he thought that was the reason why he always gave him a pat and a cuddle when he saw him, and even shared his lunch with him when occasion fitted. Pete was a weak human when it came to him, and right now, the orange cat were trying to figure out how he could lure him to give him a turkey slice.

"Darn, not again!" Pete complained and bent down to pick up the carrot piece he lost.

Caterpillar rose from his spot, stretched a bit and walked over and begun stroking his leg while he gave a soft, implying meow.

Pete immediately reacted, looked down and his freckled face broke up in a smile.

"Oh hi, Caterpillar!" He put the knife away and bent down while he took of his gloves and begun stroking his back. The cat begun purring loudly by the stroking. Then he jumped over to the oven while he looked at him and meowed again.

"Aw, I'm sorry, pal. The turkey's for the Majesties and the royal guests. And Violet will kill me if we do something with it."

The look Caterpillar sent him made the poor guard sink deep inside. "Don't look at me like that! I'm sorry, but I can't." To not be distracted, he forced himself to turn away from the cat and back to the carrots. Realizing there would be no turkey for him for a while, Caterpillar found it better to go back to his place and curl up again.

While Pete was struggling to get the up cut vegetables in same size and fighting his guilt towards the cat, Stan had another look at the turkey before he went back to the sauce. After stirring it again, he couldn't resist himself and found a spoon, and picked up a slight tip of the scream sauce and led it towards his mouth.

"Stan!" Pete watched with wide eyes. "You can't do that!"

"I just have to check that it's not burned." he said before putting the spoon in his mouth. "Mmm..." he said and arched an eyebrow. "I must say, Violet is rather choosey when it comes to spice. Now, where is... Ah!" He reached out to find the pots of salt and pepper.

"Don't play with that, Stan!" Pete stepped a little away with frightened eyes. "I've had more than enough pepper for a whole life!"

"I'm being careful, Pete. Don't you worry." he said and grabbed both containers in his left hand, stepped a little away, turned them upside down and carefully begun shaking them into the sauce. Then he shifted in looking at the sauce and the turkey from where he was standing.

"Stan, don't you think it's enough now?" Pete asked concerned.

"Mind your own task, Pete." Stan replied.

"Mind your own task, Pete." the slender guard mumbled insulted to himself. But he kept a small eye on his companion, worried that he would spill the pepper. Stan had one more look at the turkey from where he stood. "Now, I wonder if they're planning to let that bird cook without pouring butter over it. Mary says it has a tendency to become dry if you don't poor some grease over it regularly. And..."

"STAN!" Pete cried out.

"What?" Stan asked frustrated and looked at him.

"The sauce!"

"What about..." he stopped himself when he suddenly spotted the two containers in his hand; both missing their lids. Feeling color fade from his face, he stepped closer and saw all the salt and pepper disappear down in the boiling cream sausage. "Oops.."

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The Captain of the guards were a man everyone in the Kingdom knew as a man who took his job more serious than anything. No matter what came, he never left his post or disobeyed an order. This was also something he expected from each and every one of his guards as well. One had to have an extremely good explanation if one were missing on his post.

This is why the fact that two of his guards were currently acting as kitchen assistants after the command of a maid drove him to what would be called a breaking point. He was furious, not only because of his guards' lack of discipline, but because the situation were about to slip out of his hands. The problem with the sudden arrived guests along with Varian's escape attempt were about to turn the castle upside down.

But then all of a sudden he got another instant issue that made him currently forget his problems. He had to stop as a sudden wild sting went through his back. He hissed and panted through clenched teeth as he had to lean his arm on the wall to his left.

A wave of emotions ran through him for a moment. The pain that had struck him so suddenly wasn't just anything. It was something of a leftover from the assault of the Castle, caused by the very same reason they had been running like heck for quite a while now. Varian sending that beast to attack them at the Castle had injured many guards, himself among them, making him unable to follow when they went to bring back Queen Arianna and arrest him. And even though he had recovered, it was something in his back that had never been the same. He told himself that this was something that would most likely pass, but as time went on, he failed to believe his own words. Till now the pain had never struck whenever he was in company, but whenever he was alone, he were always on guard with himself, like it would threaten to happen anytime. He feared it was only a matter of time before he failed to keep this from his guards and the Majesties.

And just by that, it happened now of all times, when Varian was still missing and there seemed to appear trouble from every corner.

He leaned his back to the wall and relax and take a couple of deep breaths before he forced himself to stand up. He had no time for self-pity. He had to get to the kitchen, no matter what it took. Not only to got those morons quit fooling around with food, but to get to the bottom of what they had just learned about Varian. More determinant than ever, he stood up again and kept on to his task, running slowly this time.

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"Stan, you have just ruined the royal sauce!" Pete yelled as he pointed towards the casserole with a half cut carrot, the green tassel in the end of it dancing while he did so.

"Well, don't blame me! How was I supposed to know these lids were so loose?" Stan said and begun looking around in the kitchen. "Now, let's see... Here must be some way... " then he spotted something on the corner in the of the kitchen. "Ah! There..." he hurried past Pete and opened a sack of flour. Then he found the cup inside it and hurried over to the casserole again where he poured the flower into the sauce.

"Stan, what are you doing now?"

"Mary says to add flour on the sauce to sooth it out." he said as he stirred the flour into the beige liquid.

"But now you're just thickening it." Pete said frustrated.

"Don't worry. I'll add some more cream into it. Then it will be better. See if you find some."

Pete sighed and put the carrot back by the vegetable and had a look around. After looking in the shelves under the bench in the middle of the room he opened the storage room. After a quick round he came out with a bottle."I can't find cream, but I found some milk here. Do you think that's gonna make any difference?"

"Not as thick as this has become." Stan said, getting a bit worried himself when he saw that he might have added too much flour. "Bring it over."

So Pete brought the bottle, opened it and poured it into the sauce while Stan stirred it. After a while he nodded satisfying. "Now that should do it. Now, let's have a look at the turkey. I think we need to turn it before it burns."

"I'm not sure of that..."

"Violet told us to do so. Now come on. Find something to grab it with."

They both took a long fork from the hook beside the oven and with clumsy movements they managed somehow to give the turkey a turn around. Stan was quite satisfied with himself and smiled with his whole mustache. "Now then, that would..."

"Stan!" Pete cried out and dropped the huge fork on the floor. "Now the sauce is boiling over!"

"What?"

They watched as the white content of the casserole bubbled over and ran down on both all sides, causing a dreadful smell to occur from it.

"What're we gonna do what're we gonna do?" Pete waved with his arms in panic.

"We just have to... " Stan grabbed a cloth laying on the table and use it to lift the handles of the casserole off the plate, but as he were a little too quick in doing so, he managed to spill the sauce over his glove. He gave a loud cry, dropped the casserole so more sauce spilled over the plate, causing it to fizz loud and make smoke. Stand grabbed a hold on his hand and stepped away from the plate and failed to notice where he was stepping, and before he knew it, he heard a loud, complaining meow and felt something sharp grab around his leg.

"STAN! How could you?" Pete shouted angry.

"I didn't mean to spill the sauce, bit I burned my hand." he pulled his glove and placed the wounded spot in his mouth.

"Who cares about the sauce or your hand!" he cried and bent down to pick up the red striped cat. "You stepped on his tail! Poor thing, did that clumsy idiot hurt you?!"

Caterpillar was still upset about his tail, and wasn't quite certain of what to think of being lifted up like that.

Stan looked annoyed by the fact that his friend chose to pity the cat over him. "Hey, I couldn't help it. I burned my hand!"

"Well, it was your own fault! You shouldn't have starting to mess around with something you have no clue of!"

"Well, look who's talking. Wasn't it you who..."

He never managed to finish the sentence as the door to the kitchen suddenly got up with a loud bang. Both guards got so startled that they forgot the argument and quickly embraced eachother in fright, squeezing Caterpillar in between them, who gave a muffled meow.

They had indeed reason to be afraid, as it was no one else than the Captain himself standing in the door. The look on his face were everything it took them to tell that they were in serious trouble.

"Well well, if it isn't you two!" he said, frowning under his mustache. "I don't know if you're simple minded, or if you're simply dumb, but I know one thing for sure and that's..."The Captain stopped himself as something caught the corner of his eyesight to his left. As he turned around, he gasped when he spotted a slight fire near the casserole where the vegetables were boiling, at the bottom, where the tassel of a half cut carrot had made its way. The guards followed his look and if there had been any color left on their faces, it sure would have been gone now.

The Captain turned back to them. "Well, don't just stand there! Stan; get me a bucket of water and a woolen blanket! Pete; you go get Violet back here this instant!"

Both guards were a little disturbed that he didn't yell at them at once, and ended up just standing there confused.

"NOW!" the Captain barked.

The guards responded with no hesitation and ran out of the kitchen, somehow relieved to get away. Caterpillar managed to wriggle himself out of Pete's grip and jumped on the floor, fleeing the kitchen and run past Stan, causing him to stumble on his way. Pete's voice was heard in the corridor as he shouted at Stan to not step on him. The Captain himself were left in the room and widened his eyes as he saw how dreadful the situation really were when he spotted the boiling sauce and the mess with the cut carrots, flour on the floor and the oven with the turkey were wide open. For a moment he regretted sending the guards away as he realized that he himself had no clue of where to begin.

He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I never thought handling my own guards would be worse than handling Varian."


	31. Chapter 30 Out of the Sick Room

**Chapter 30: Out of the Sick Room**

**Back with a new chapter. I hope people are doing well around. I can't believe I have spent so many chapters on a single day. I'm glad you liked Caterpillar's pow, singertobe, I couldn't help myself. Pete and cat. I just love how they portrait animals in this series. You know AiLinhD, you might have given me an idea for later. Hope you guys enjoy this part as well. **

Arianna weren't able to hold back a moan when she finally reached the doors to the Physician's quarters. Her heels were killing her, and she found she was rather exhausted, both in mind and body. Handling Varian in the garden alone had been a strain by itself, but trying to distract their sudden guests and please the distressed niece of hers had been such a task for her that she wasn't sure how she had managed at all.

On her way she had met several other guards and informed them that there were no longer necessary to search for Varian as he had been found, and the guards were relieved to learn this. Of course this took it's time as they were eager for details, but since she had none to give, she just ordered them to find the Captain and tell him to come to the physician's quarters as fast as he could. But it wasn't the easiest task as the Captain could be anywhere in the Castle by now, looking for Ruddiger. Then she had to give the information to servants passing by, who had heard many confusing news about Varian's escape. It sent shivers down her spine to think of how a rumor could spread this fast and cause confusion.

But now, standing by the door, she suddenly realized the reason she was here. And that very reason itself made her freeze of pure fright. If Varian really was on the other side... According to the young maid Karen, Phineas had been treating a wounded boy, and as she had seen Daniel unharmed, it was rather obvious who the other boy had been. She found herself struggling just taking the handle of the door. If Varian was the wounded boy, and he was under treatment, it would mean that he was less likely to mean any danger. On the other hand...

_You're a horrible mother... _

She gasped as the voice from her dreams strafed through her memory at sudden, and made her take a step back from the door, losing her shoes on the floor in the process. Panting at sudden, she grabbed a hold on the bodice of her dress and cringed it a moment.

She sighed heavily, upgiven by her own fear. Deep inside there was a part of her that felt deep pity for the boy after everything he had gone through, and she realized at sudden that equally being afraid of him, she was dreadfully worried for him. How bad was it with him really? If it was so bad that the physician were allowed to treat him, it would certainly explain why Daniel had been near him without being harmed. But the thought that he had been harmed this much made her heart beat faster. Rapunzel would never forgive them if something happened to him. For deep inside she didn't want to hurt him, but she had been so scared of him that...

Her thoughts were disturbed by the sound of someone approaching from her left. It was like she heard it from far distance, lost in thoughts as she were, but they were getting closer. She immediately recognized Nigel's voice, and the other one sounded like Violet. They were arguing, and at first Arianna rolled her eyes, but then their words caught her attention, and she turned to face them.

"Nigel, I am more convinced than ever that you are in dire a holyday." Violet's determinant voice said.

"How dare you even persuade that?" the slender advisor said insulted while frowning as they walked. "What I am giving you here is pure fact."

Violet stopped and put her hands on her hips while giving him a glare. "I refuse to believe that Varian is that dangerous prisoner you've been chasing all day. Just the thought itself is completely ridiculous."

The advisor returned the action and gave him a steady look back. "Well, it happens to be that he is, as well as the same person who attacked the Princess, sent that monster on the Castle, kidnapped the Queen AND almost had her murdered. And I hope you can assure me that he is still in the sick room where you left him."

"Phineas is taking care of him, and you know how he is with patients. And I doubt he has been able to walk by his own if he tried."

"We must act fast! We must put up guards outside the door to the physician's quarter. We cannot take any risks."

"Aren't you overreacting now, Nigel?" Violet rolled her eyes. "I told you, the boy is no danger, least of all in THAT condition. I..." It was then she discovered Arianna by the doors. "Oh, Your Majesty!"

"My Queen!" Nigel were about to hurry over to them when Arianna came first and raised her hand towards them. Nigel almost stumbled when he stopped.

"Try not to make such commotion. Let me hear what this is about! Violet..." She turned to the maid. "What is it you're talking about?"

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As soon as Fredric opened the door and peeked through it, the sound of sore sobbing made them all silent. He spotted the young maid weeping into the old Blacksmith's comfortable embrace as he stroke a hand over her back.

"Karen!" Varian almost whispered, as he caught the sound of her crying from the bed. Ruddiger looked at him, recognizing her voice, and the boy and the raccoon exchanged desperate looks.

Fredric hurried to close the door gently again and looked back at the Physician.

"I bet Xavier has made her aware of the danger of what we just spoke." Phineas said. "And I wouldn't be surprised if she got terrified of Varian's reaction earlier. She's a sensitive little girl, so... one or the other."

"Oh no..." Varian bit his bottom lip and clenched his hands. The thought that he was the one who had made her cry made him feel horrible, and he forgot all about his condition and hunger. Ruddiger placed a par on his arm to comfort him, but he barely noticed.

"I will go and see what the problem is." Fredric said and was about to opened the door again when Varian spoke again.

"Eh... Your Majesty, wait!"

Fredric stopped and looked back at him.

"Please don't be mad at her! It was my fault alone, and she doesn't deserve to be punished because of me!" He got on his knees on the bed and folded his hands, looking at him with huge, blue begging eyes. "Please don't be mad at her, don't give her any trouble?! I swear, I'd never forgive myself!" He begun biting his bottom lips, making his huge front teeth visible and make him look younger than he was.

For a moment Fredric lot a bit lost looking at him, and it struck him once again how innocent he appeared now compared to what he had been during lunch. Was this really the same Varian he was looking at? Before he had blamed every single being around him for his misery, and now he was begging for the innocence of someone he barely knew? But he kept his thoughts to himself and gave him a calming smile.

"Why, of course I won't give Karen any trouble at all. After all, it was merely an accident, and nothing to make any commotion about. And I shall tell her myself, so don't worry."

Varian let out a heavy sigh of relief and put his hands down. "Alright, I... I guess I should trust His Majesty."

Hearing these words made Fredric feel moved, and he had trouble gathering himself as he was about to turn away again. "I... I am glad you do. And you!" he looked at Ruddiger while pointing at him. The raccoon got a bit disturbed for a moment, but then the King spoke. "You make sure he stays in bed till he's well! Can I rely on you?"

Ruddiger immediately responded by standing up straight at his back paws, and gave the King a short salute with his right paw and made a short croon. Varian arched an eyebrow at him, finding his friend's behavior peculiar, while the raccoon found it rather satisfying that the King put his trust in him.

Fredric on his side felt a tad more relieved. _Perhaps there is hope after all_, he thought as he turned back to the physician. "Phineas, I will send for you once I... get the time. There are many things I have to discuss with you."

"Alright, Your Majesty." The old man folded his hands and bowed humbly to him. "But with His Majesty's permission, I insist on finishing what I have started." He discreetly pointed with his eyes towards the boy in bed.

"Of course!" Fredric nodded back. Then he opened the door again and went walked into the reception room, followed by Lars, who gave Varian an encouraging smile as he left.

"What was that about?" Varian asked the old man once they were alone.

"Oh, nothing. I have been gone for quite a while, and I need an update at things here." Then he sat down at the bed next to him. "Now that we're alone, let's have the rest of you properly examinated, just to be on the safe side, what?"

"Eh... If you say so." Varian blushed and bit his bottom lip again.

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Xavier sat on one of the wooden boxes he had brought in and held his huge arms around the young maid as she cried into his chest. At this moment she was completely inconsolable and her hitched sobs were the only sound in the room.

"I...I didn't mean... I didn't know I made it worse..." she sniffled and gasped over eachother.

"Now, that's alright, lassie. You couldn't know." the old man said with deep, soothing voice. "There there now." He looked up as he became aware of the door opening, and saw the King and Prince Lars enter through it. "Oh, Your Majesty..." it slipped out of him in surprise.

Karen suddenly got all stiff and rose and turned around, covering her running nose and twisted mouth while bowing her head to hide her red, still watery eyes.

"Now, is everything alright?" His Majesty asked gently as he looked at her with concerning eyes. "Karen, dear?"

The girl sniffed behind her hands and tried to swallow before stuttering. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean..." her voice broke, and she gasped deeply before trying again. "It was all my fault! I hurt him so bad and then..." The words came out louder than she intended, and shamefully she lowered her head and hid her face in her hands again.

Lars stepped over to her smiled gently. "Listen now, dear. Varian is feeling allot better now. Phineas took care of it, and all he's safe now. And he's very sorry for scaring you. But we shouldn't try to force him to remember anymore. He just needs a break, that's all."

"I'm really sorry... I didn't know I made it worse..." Karen weren't able to stop her sobs or her shoulders from shaking.

_Poor lass_, Fredric thought to himself. _She has been facing a dangerous criminal without even being aware of it, and now she feels bad for making him forget and cause him pain_. Suddenly he got the picture of his daughter weeping before her departure, a memory that still haunted him, and now he felt so bad for the young girl that he did something that no one could ever expect a King to do. He knelt down and pulled her into an embrace and begun stroking her back, letting her cry on his shoulder. Lars and Xavier exchanged looks and smiled at the sight, none of them wanting to interfere.

When Fredric spoke at last, he was calm and soothing. "Karen, listen. None of us knew how bad it was with him, so we're not angry at you at all. And neither is Varian. He was so sorry for scaring you like that. He feels so bad you can't imagine."

"But I didn't mean... I didn't know I did something wrong..." she were barely able to utter the words.

"No, you haven't done anything wrong, my dear." Fredric said and got rather thoughtful at sudden. "On the contrary... I think you might have done us a favor..." The King were mumbling more to himself now, and made the young maid rather confused, as she wiped her nose and looked up at him.

"What?"

Fredric coughed and looked up, meeting her questioning eyes, but he responded by wiping her cheek with his fingers before he stood up, lifting her chin to make her face him. "Never mind, dear. But try not to worry now. Everything is going to be fine. Dry your tears now, that's a good girl. Didn't Jonas give you a handkerchief?"

Karen felt rather confused, but found it better to get a grip on herself and turned away to find said handkerchief and wiped her face as best as she could. Then she cleared her throat and looked carefully up at His Majesty. "B-but... he's going to be alright... right?" she asked with horse voice.

"Of course he will." he smiled encouraging at her. "And you, my dear..." he said as he placed a hand on her back, leading her gently towards the doors. "I think you need to go and rest a bit. I give you the rest of the day off, you have done more than enough, and I see no reason to put you through more stress."

"But... Grandma and Aunt Millicent will get furious if I... I mean, the dinner for the guests and..." she turned to Lars and feared a moment he would question her, realizing that she might have given away that things might not be done according to expectations. But the red haired Prince remained calm and smiled.

"Oh, don't you worry, lass." Fredric said and turned to Lars. "You might understand, Lars, that today, nothing has gone according to plan."

Lars gave a dry laughter back and smiled. "Welcome to my world, Your Majesty."

"Hm?" Fredric arched an eyebrow.

Lars followed them as Fredric grabbed the handle at the door. "I owe you an explanation, and I think you will find..."

He stopped as the trio from the reception room became aware of the trio outside. The Queen, Nigel and Karen's Grandmother Violet were in a heated discussion that was impossible to catch the content of. Fredric and Lars exchanged looks before Fredric cleared his throat loudly to get their attention. All tree went silent and turned towards them.

"KAREN!" all three of them cried out loud.

The poor girl got startled and jumped back, instinctively hiding between the King and Lars. She quickly seemed to realize what she did and gave Fredric an excusing look, but he smiled and raised and hand towards the trio that threatened to interrogate her.

"Leave her alone. She doesn't need this right now!"

"Fredric..." Arianna begun.

"Your Majesty, the prisoner..." Nigel begun, but Fredric coughed, making the advisor silent on the spot and his wife freeze in confusion. Arianna too knew this meant he weren't to be argued with.

"Everything will be explained, but _not now_!" he said in his demanding tone while he lowered his brows and the tune in his voice at the last words. Then he turned to the red haired Prince. "Lars! Bring your brother and meet us in the library as fast as you can! Tell him that _I_ owe _him_ an explanation."

"At once, your Majesty!" Lars said and bowed before he left.

Then Fredric turned to the maid. "Violet, take Karen to her room and let her have the rest of the day off. No further questions! And make sure some leftovers from the lunch is brought to our patient in there."

"Eh... Yes, Your Majesty. " Violet's voice were shaking as she laid a trembling hand around the young girl's shoulders.

"If Your Majesty will excuse me..." Xavier said as he approached behind him and bowed. "I have Phineas' luggage to attend to. I am afraid my poor horse has been standing out there for too long."

"By all means, Xavier. Although, we might need you here for the day, so if you will be available later on, I would be grateful. I'll see to that your horse will get food and water."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The blacksmith made another bow before he too took his leave.

"Let go of me, I can walk by myself!" They heard Karen's cross voice respond to the older maid's grip as she was about to lead her away.

"Now young lady!" Nigel crossed his arms. "Is that a way to speak to your grandmother?"

Despite the King's insurance, Karen's day had been dreadful as it was, and now she felt it become too much. She turned back at Nigel, clenching her fists as she cried out loud with a force in her voice no one was used to, not even herself.

"SHE'S NOT MY GRANDMOTHER!"

The sudden outburst made them all silent, and Karen once again broke into tears as she ran away from them, leaving the group of royalties and servants just stand and look after her as she disappeared.

"What was that?" Arianna mumbled and exchanged looks with Nigel, who were a little in shock over her reaction and found himself unable to reply for once, only shrugging back.

"Hm?" Fredric looked after her before turning towards Violet. "What on earth..."

Violet lowered her gaze and sighed. "I... I'm afraid that..."

"FIRE!"

All four turned around to look at Pete, who came running towards them. "The kitchen is on fire! We need water!" He stopped at sudden as he spotted Violet. "Oh, and the Captain want's you back there right now; everything is boiling over!" Then he bowed shortly to the Majesties before he kept on running in a hurry.

"Pete, where are you going?" Arianna cried after her.

"Get water for the fire, Your Majesty!" he cried back and disappeared behind the corner.

"Oh no..." Violet clapped her cheeks with her hands before she lifted her skirts and ran towards the direction of the kitchen, forgetting to bow her way off to the Majesties.

Arianna looked like she was about to faint and Fredric let her lean on him to prevent any potential harm. Nigel gave a loud moan and touched his forehead in a growing headache. "Can this day get any worse?" he lamented.

"I am afraid it can, Nigel." Fredric said.

Arianna looked up at him with questioning green eyes. "What do you mean, dear?"

Fredric cleared his throat. ""Well, where do I begin? I..."he stopped himself as he looked down. "My dear, aren't you wearing any shoes?"


	32. Chapter 31 Varian Dilemma

**Chapter 31: Varian Dilemma**

**So here's more chaos incoming. I hope you approve, AiLinhD. So glad you notice all the details. It's a bit longer this one, but I saw no reason to cut it in two. I gotta be honest, not sure if I'm satisfied with this chapter, I don't know if I could have made this any different. Well well... Here goes nothing. **

Queen Arianna was a beloved member of the Royal Family among the Castle staff. Even though she could act strict when needed, she was by no way a mean tyrant who pushed them to their limits, and if anyone had an issue, they were free to tell her, and she would adapt the situation the way it was possible. Although whenever things really did go wrong, she expected an explanation. And this was no exception.

Although it was a bit different this time. Even though things had gone as wrong as it could this day, Her Majesty remained calmed, but her face exposed her concern. This time things had gone wrong indeed, but now it was _the Queen_ who gave _them_ and explanation.

At the moment, the who staff stood lined up, like during an inspection. They were already worn out and scared by rumors and fear, but bursting to know what was going on.

"Dear friends." she begun as she started walking past all of them, slowly and controlled. "I think you all know why I have gathered you all here. There has been a dreadful thing going on today, and I want to clear things out in order for you all to calm down. In fact, many... horrible things has happened, and it's a miracle we managed through it."

They all tensed, but she kept going.

"Now, we must say it as it is; this day hasn't gone quite according to plan. Many unexpected things came up today, and some of them shouldn't have happened under any circumstances. But apparently..." she drew her breath. "...they were not to be prevented. We're not blaming anyone in particular; it is nobody's fault that it became this way. But now we must try our best to move on and continue as before."

Arianna discreetly drew her again breath before she went on. "I know there has been spoken of an escaped prisoner. Here in the Castle corridors."

There were gasps among them all.

"Well, this is true. A prisoner did escape, and not just any prisoner. He was.. dangerous indeed. But he has been found and taken care of. He was wounded during his escape attempt, and is currently under the care of Court Physician Phineas, who returned to us this very day. Now, there is no need to worry. And even though there is no... immediate danger that he will try anything, as his condition prevents him from doing so, there will nevertheless be guards outside the doors and he will be under constant watch. So there is no longer any reason for alarm. We know that this has been traumatic to many, but we ask you all to keep going as normal."

There were many reveled sighs to be heard among the staff, but Arianna noticed that Violet got more tense than relieved. Having been one of them who had a direct interaction with Varian, along with young Karen, it was no wonder why she felt uncomfortable. But Arianna had a feeling there was more, and decided to have a talk with her later.

"So now, let's go on like before. Do not speak about this, not even among yourselves. We don't want our guests to worry. Especially not Princess Annabelle and young Prince Danie.. We have seen today how much worry a rumor can cause, so we will do what we can to preventthis from happening again. The guests from South Corona were another unexpected happening, and on short notice, they are going to stay for a while. We will figure out how to interact with them in time. Princess Annabelle is going to marry soon, and we must make sure not to upset her. And Prince Daniel..." she paused herself as she recalled the boy from earlier and suddenly felt uncertain, reccalling his wild tautrum from earier. "Well, we will come back to him."

"But... Your Majesty." a male servant asked just as Arianna past him. "Wouldn't it be safer for everyone, including the royal guests, to move the prisoner back to the dungeons?"

"Alas...I am afraid not." Arianna turned back and faced him with the best of understanding as she could. "The damage that was done on him were so... severe that the physician insisted on keeping him under close observation, and he won't leave the sick room for at least two weeks. And until he gives other orders..." Arianna swallowed to moisture her throat, but she feared it ended up rather chocked. "... it must be so!"

#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#

Phineas walked through the corridors, his hands folded under his wide sleeves, with an absentminded smile. As he approached the royal library, he stopped outside the double doors, where two middle aged guards. He stopped in front of them and made a bow.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen."

"Phineas! You really have come back." one of the guards said.

"What a relief. At least one of the rumors were true." the other one said.

"I would recommend you not to put trust in rumors, as they often appear to overrate." the wise old man said stiffly. "Has His Majesty with company arrived?"

"Yes, the red haired Princes were the last one, and they arrived about ten minutes ago."

"Thank you very much." he said before he grabbed the handle of the right door and walked in.

#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#

While Arianna were speaking with the staff, the King had gathered to a meeting in the library where they could speak in private. Besides from Fredric and Nigel, the Captain, Prince Lars and his brother Jonas were present. Jonas, who was the last to learn about this, were patiently listening to the story of Varian and how he got to the sick room, and of the current state he was in. The Captain were horrified when he heard that Prince Daniel had been near him. Nigel pulled the collar of his shirt nervously, as if he got chocked, and were barely able to hold his tongue as the King explained to them why nothing of the bare truth could be reveled to Varian.

"So... he escaped just as we arrived?" Jonas said, but seemed more impressed than shocked. "That I must say..."

"But do I understand it correctly, Your Majesty, that we are not to tell the very reason of why he is here?" the Captain didn't hide how frustrating he found this situation.

"He doesn't, and we will not tell him either. There is too much of a chance to cause more damage if we do." the King said.

"I still think it would be safer for everyone if we moved him back to the dungeons." Nigel said with his nose raised.

"Nigel, have you even listened to a word of what we have said? We can't just put him in a dungeon when don't recall what he has done. But there is no reason to alarm. In the condition he is now, he's barely able to stand on his own feet, so it's not likely he's getting anywhere."

"But if he doesn't recall his crimes...?" Nigel asked with concern in his eyes. "How can we then put him to trial?"

"That will have to wait, I fear." sounded another voice, and they all turned to find Phineas approaching them.

"Ah, there you are, Phineas."

"I'm sorry for the delay. It took some time to convince the shy young man to have a bath." He chuckled. "In that age, they are so easily embarrassed."

"But... he's not alone, is he?" Nigel gasped with wide eyes.

"I left Xavier to watch over him." the physician said.

"Phineas, tell me." the Captain said. "You can't seriously mean that just because he has forgotten everything? He should at least have an iron ball or..."

Phineas raised a hand to silence him. "Captain, be reasonable. He doesn't even remember meeting the Princess. So... this is rather serious."

"The greatest traitor in Corona's history has forgotten his own crimes..." Nigel looked like he got trouble breathing.

"And he managed to slip under your right very nose." Jonas said with a chuckle. "Now, I am extremely curious at _how_ he managed to do this."

"So am I, actually." Phineas said, turning to the King. "I believe that detail has slipped me."

"Now you see..." Fredric cleared his throat. "It's kind of... if your gentlemen recall that we had a... cat at lunch?"

#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#

The two guards who stood outside the door to the library where the meeting was taking place used the chance to lean to the wall. Both were rather tired after the hunt for Varian and were glad to get some hours just standing there.

"What a day, huh?" one of them said.

"Yep. I'm glad the worst is over with." the other one replied. "I wonder what will happen to Pete and Stan though..."

"I bet there'll be potato peeling on them for a while." the first one said. Or boot polishing."

"I must say, what were they thinking with..."

Their conversation were interrupted by the sound of someone inside the library laughing loud. The guards looked at eachother with arching eyebrows.

" I must say, whatever is going on in there,?" the first one said.

"I hope it's not us they laugh at..." the other one said concerned. "If people knew what happened in here today, we would be the laughing stock at all of Corona."

"Well, let's hope that they meant it when they said that this is to be kept a secret."

#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#

"I must say, with all due respect, Your Grace..." Nigel said as he watched Prince Lars leaning on the shelf and Jonas bending over the couch, both laughing loud and hysterically. "I cannot see anything comical about this at all! This is absolutely nothing to laugh at!"

Prince Lars had to gasp for air to be able to reply, and still the answer came as a loud cry. "Yes, it is!" His face was about to get as red as his hair as he kept on laughing. His brother looked like he was going to give a reply, but he had to give up as he wasn't able to utter a word.

Everyone in the room exchanged looks and arched eyebrows. After three more minutes with loud, uninterrupted laughter, Lars managed to sniffle some words while he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

"I... I thought that... Daniel... was the only one... playing with pepper."

"Oh boy... Has he met his match or what?" Jonas gasped through his giggles. "Hadn't I known better... one could almost believe he had given him the idea..."

This comment made them crack down again, and Lars broke into another round of hysterical laughing and joined his brother by the couch as the act of standing became difficult.

"Gentlemen..." the King cleared his throat loudly as he begun to find this frustrating. "I do believe now that it you who owe us an explanation. Lars...! Get a hold on yourself!"

Both brothers wiped their eyes and straightened up at the King's strict tone. Jonas still pressed his lips hard not to laugh, while Lars looked up and faced them. "I'm... terribly sorry to tell you this but..." he cleared his throat a few times and tried in vain to sound serious. "You might as well be prepared, because I bet you will all be..." he sniffed, "...affected somehow in the future."

"And that means..." Fredric asked.

Lars managed at last to stop laughing. "Daniel is... I hate to say this about my own son, but..." He drew his breath, struggling to speak, so his brother laid a hand on his shoulder and finished it for him.

"Daniel is simply spoken... a naughty boy. With a dreadful temper, horrible manners and a language that... shouldn't be his age known." He waited a moment, eyeing them all in turn. Nigel and the Captain exchanged looks while the King kept his gaze on them for him to move on. Phineas stood quietly without making any expression.

"You see... Everytime he sees his chance, he plays a prank and does mischief. Very soon you will most likely find pepper in your handkerchiefs, salt in your tea and I won't even dare to imagine what you will find in your pockets. Anything from pebbles to... a frog." He coughed. "If you're lucky that is..."

Fredric widened his eyes at this, barely able to believe what he heard. None of the tree did, although Nigel and the Captain kept giving eachother looks, as thye had been present during the boy's outburst.

"And I recommend that you open the doors and keep a distance before you go through them. There's a chance you'll get something in your head."

"And watch your feet, because you'll never know if there's a string to stumble in." Jonas added and looked at his brother with a smile. "Have we left something out?"

"Hm... We do have his languige..." the older brother marked, raising a hand towards his chin. "Wherever he has picked up such words as he uses remains to me a mystery... anything more?"

"Oh, that's right!" Jonas said and raised a finger. "He spits!"

"Eh..." Lars got a slight blush on his face again, clearing his throat. "Yes... He does."

"So... he's a prankster?" Fredric said and blinked.

"A mild description, Your Majesty... but yes." Jonas replied. "Not to mention the tantrums he thrown when he gets upset. You... saw for yourself, gentlemen." he looked at the Captain and Nigel. "By the way, Your Majesty? I apologize for the vase in the boy's room, and..." he gage an excusing smile. "I'll keep him in my room for the night as... the window of his room is... slightly cracked."

Lars sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Not again..."

"What?" Fredric asked wide eyed. "Has he broken the window?"

"Sorry, he didn't liked to be removed from Varian, and now that I understand the reason, I..." Jonas said, and chuckled. "...I don't blame him."

"Why, I must say..." the Captain blinked several times. "If your Grace don't mind me asking, has he... always been like that?"

"Well, it wasn't as bad when Helga was alive, but..." Lars looked up. "She... made such commotion about letting him grow up on Southern Isles, so... we moved back to Corona when he was born. But as she had lost contact with all her friends and she had gotten used to a rather isolated state... As soon as Daniel was born, he became her whole world. She... "

"Brother... She spoiled him, and she barely let you in on him. There is no secret." Jonas put a hand on his brother's shoulder, who looked at him with gratitude. "And you've done what best you could, but there is not to deny that she kept you at distance, so you haven't been allowed to bond at all. And now the poor boy has to pay that price."

"But, if I may..." Nigel interfered. "Wouldn't it be an idea to be... consequent with him?"

"Don't you think I have tried?" Lars said frustrated. "It wasn't until Jonas came that he managed to behave just a little."

"But I think even I have to be aware of my pockets now after I had to put him on place in his room." Jonas said smiling dryly. "This is the first time I've had to act hard on him, and he didn't take _that_ very well."

Lars sighed. "It was too good to be true." But then he lightened up. "But I promised Varian I'd bring Daniel to visit him tomorrow, and I think maybe Daniel too will like that."

"Great idea, brother!" Jonas smiled. "Someone closer to his own age is just what he needs."

"Wha-wha-wha... WHAT?" Nigel stood with his mouth open, all still, just letting an awkward silence come from his mouth. After ten seconds of doing so, the Captain gave him a slap on his back.

"Nigel! Breathe!" he said.

Nigel drew his breath in aloud gasp, shook his head and looked at the two brothers like they had a disease. "But gentlemen... You cannot let the young Prince come near him again! Imagine just what...?"

"Trust me, if I were you, I'd be more concerned with what _Daniel_ would be up to soon rather than Varian." Lars said. "Believe me, both Daniel and I were near him and spoke with him, and he didn't harm any of us."

"I must confess, I want to meet him myself." Jonas said, facing his older brother with a smile. "He sounds like some interesting fella."

"I have a feeling you will like him very much." Lars said, smiling warmly to his brother.

"But what if he remembers something during the night?" Nigel asked. "Isn't there a chance..."

"I will give him something to make sure he would sleep all night through." Phineas replied.

"But what about in the morning?" the Captain said.

"We'll face that when that time comes." Fredric said and sighed. "For now... all we can do is wait."


	33. Chapter 32 Phineas' demonstration

**Chapter 32: Phineas' demonstration **

**I must apologize to those who eventually have noticed, but recently I found that I have spelled King Frederic's name wrong all the way. Instead of Frederic I have written Fredric; from the very beginning. I seem to have been completely blind to it. Do I feel dumb or what? Sorry for this glitch, I'll make sure not repeat that. **

**Also, writer's block struck me recently, so this took a while, but I hope it might be something satisfying here to make up for it. **

"I still think we should do more to secure him!" Nigel said as they walked out of the royal library, His Majesty and Phineas first, then Lars and Jonas. Nigel and the Captain walked behind them, and Nigel closed the doors. "As many guards as possible would be needed, and we should at least chain him to the bed, or just to an iron ball, or..."

"Nigel, as I have said already, I can handle this." Phineas turned halfway back to reply him.

"With all respect Phineas, I would never doubt your medical decisions, but on this I must agree with Nigel." the Captain said. "This is Varian we're talking about. He is most unpredictable and..."

"I am not changing my mind, Captain. I stand my ground: No more fuzz than necessary." the physician said, but his lips were turning into a rather thin line.

"Just a pair of guards inside the sickroom?" the Captain suggested one last time.

Nigel nodded eagerly on this. "I say, that is the least..."

"NO!" Phineas said loud and adamant, raising his voice making them shrink, stopping on the way to make an example.

They all stopped, the Captain and Nigel almost bumping into the red haired brothers, who exchanges looks without turning their heads. Frederic noticed the tension that were building up, and cleared his throat. "Eh... I see that might not be a good idea, as he might grow suspicious, and that... eh..."

"... and their presence might trigger something before he is ready!" Phineas finished for him, lowering his voice now. "I cannot allow that!"

"Perhaps just... outside the sick room then?" the Captain tried again, a little more carefully pleading this time.

Phineas drew his breath and turned around to meet him, his hands still folded in front of him, his eyes a pair of small lines in a slight frown. "Listen, here is my proposal; you may place guards outside the windows to the sick room as well as outside the reception room, if that makes you feel better. But I will go no further with protection. I do not trust your guards not to start talking in the middle of the night if they get worried, or worse, if they get _bored_. And I will sleep in the sick room tonight myself and keep an eye on his condition. I'll even lock the door and keep he key on me. I am a light sleeper, so it will not be possible for him to search for the key without me waking up. And I will give him something to make him sleep, so I am NOT concerned!"

"But you cannot be all alone with the prisoner! Imagine what if..."

Phineas raised his hand towards Nigel while he pressed his thin lips tightly together in frustration. "I see you do not trust me, so I will simply demonstrate my ability to look after myself." Then he turned towards the youngest brother, slightly lighter when he spoke. "May I borrow you a moment, young man?"

Jonas twitched as the physician looked at him. "Me?" he asked, pointing a finger towards himself.

"Yes. Come here. I just need you for a moment." he said as he began walking away, waving after him.

"Eh... Alright."

"Captain, let him borrow your sword."

"Eh... What?" the Captain blinked.

"Please!"

The Captain hesitated, having been shaken off the branch, but nevertheless he obeyed and drew his sword, handing it to the young red haired man, who was just as confused as the Captain.

Phineas had walked a little further away, then he stopped and turned his head slightly back to the company, with a smirk. "Now, attack me!"

"What?" Jonas widened his eyes, and the others around them gasped.

"You heard me. Go on me now, lad. Run towards me and strike your best."

"I hope you know what you're doing, Phineas. My brother is rather skilled with the sword." Lars said, a little insecure on the experiment.

"Good for him, as I happen to be rather skilled... without one!" Phineas smirked as his narrow eyes became even smaller. Then he turned away, standing all still with a slight chuckle.

Jonas got a better grip on the sword, but waited, not certain of what to expect.

"Come on, lad. I haven't got all day."

Jonas looked at his older brother. "He's up to something." he whispered.

"This is going to be interesting, indeed." Frederic said, being the only one in the company who smiled. "Don't you remmeber, Captain, when he did this years ago?"

"Sire, I... I slightly recall, but..." the Captain begun, but the King interrupted him.

"Oh well then, see for yourself. I have not forgotten it." he turned to Lars, smirking. "I would be more concerned for your brother than Phineas."

While Lars stood as a mute question, Frederic turned to Jonas. "Go ahead, lad. Give him all you've got!"

Becoming rather curious, Jonas straightened up, took charge and sprang out to strike him with full speed. He ran towards him, and was to strike the wide side towards the figure in front of him.

Then all of a sudden, Phineas made a loud, odd cry as he turned around, avoiding the incoming attack with a unexpected blocking with his arm and a stiff hand, causing him to loose the sword. Then he grabbed a hold on his sword arm with both hands, and before Jonas could tell, he had made a wild turn in the air, and the next moment he was lying on the floor, looking up at the roof, loosing breath in the process. The sword was lying next to him, and he wasn't really sure of what had happened. Then he spotted a face looking down at him.

"My apologies, lad. I hope I didn't strike the air out of your lounges?" Phineas said and reached out his hand.

Jonas couldn't help but start laughing when he grabbed his hand and let himself help being pulled up. "Remind me... to stay friends with you."

"An unshared pleasure!" the elder physician said and bowed before him.

"What was that?" Lars said as he and the others approached them.

"An ancient battle technique from my homeland. Very often, a battle can be decided completely without other weapons..." he made a kneeling pose and held out his hands as if they were sharp knives. "... than your own hands." He straightened up again. "Although, it is in principle meant only for defending yourself. Using this as a direct attack would be morally wrong."

Frederic couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Alright, Phineas. You have convinced us all I suppose. You may be in charge of Varian's security as well."

"Are you alright, brother?" Lars stepped over to him, unable to hold back a smirk. "Forgive me, but that was..." he couldn't help but chuckle.

"Me, yes. My pride on the other hand..." Jonas chuckled back. "...have been better. If only I could try that on the twins."

"I have another, more effective, method meant for disarm, although I doubt it will be needed." the physician said.

"Do you need another demonstration?" Jonas asked.

"I doubt it will be necessary." the physician smiled.

"So its settled. We will continue discussing Varian tomorrow morning." Frederic said. "Then we will see if parts of his memory has recovered."

"If Your Majesty will excuse me, I must go and release my friend so he may be able to leave for the evening." Phineas said and bowed to the King before turning to Jonas. "And thank you, young man, for participating in my demonstration."

"A... a useful experience, Sir. " Jonas said smiling.

And by that, the Physician turned and walked away.

"Now..." Frederic said as he turned to the company. "Perhaps we should go and see if there might be something of a sort to be served for dinner?"

"I think I will eat with Daniel upstairs, Your Majesty." Jonas said. "I seem to owe him an apology, and I'll explain the matter to him."

"Do as you please, lad." Frederic said. "We better start all fresh in the next morning."

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"Am I the only one who still think this is a dreadful idea?" Nigel complained as he and the Captain kept eachother's company through the corridors behind the royalties. He was walking slower, and the Captain had to shorten his steps to keep his track.

"I give you my word, I am all on your side here." the Captain said as low as he could. "But I must say that that... demonstration... Of course now, I recall seeing that once before, when he managed to handle that thief that happened to pass that day he arrived to seek work at the Castle. Before we knew of his real profession, I was just about to hire him as a guard. I know he's not helpless, but it bothers me that he's preventing me from doing my job."

Nigel stopped and took a look around. The royalties disappeared behind a corner, and he looked at both sides before he discreetly winked the Captain into a servant corridor aside. There he spoke low with a serious tone.

"Listen Captain, I believe we both share the opinion that Varian is a danger that cannot be taken for granted. I know that His Majesty always tries to be fair, but there is a line between generosity and justice, and we are all dreadfully near crossing it. He promised the young Princess to help him, but I think we can agree that the boy is already far beyond help. If this is preventing His Majesty from making the boy standing up to his treason, there's just no telling what might happen soon. And we know by now how clever he can be. Even though he might have fooled the rest, I have no doubt it will be necessary to take whatever matter into our own hands to either free himself or get revenge somehow. Do not forget whom we are talking about here. Varian almost killed both the Queen and, let's not forget, your own daughter."

As the King's closest advisor, Nigel knew very well which spots to hit in order to move things into the direction he wanted. And the mentioning of Cassandra were indeed a soft spot for the Captain of the guards, especially in this case. The Captain had been completely unable to follow his daughter to battle against Varian, and therefore couldn't prevent his daughter from almost being crushed to death by the boy's automaton. He hadn't even been by her side when it happened, and he was eager to, if not avenge this action, then at least prevent him from doing more harm. Nigel knew he had him on the hook when he saw the Captain's jaw tighten up and his eyes shoot daggers.

"I know perfectly well..." the Captain frowned. "What do you have in mind? I'm all ears!"

"I say..." Nigel's own eyes grew small as he glued his look on him. "...that in the future, we might have to take matters into our own hands. Like this... Phineas did say you could put guards outside the windows, but... he didn't say how many guards, did he?"

"Hm... You are quite right about that." he reached his hands up to his chin as his eyes grew small.

**I guess some people recognize Phineas' defense on Jonas as some kind of martial art. I am far from an expert here, I just picked up something that I made into... what I described. The Royal Physician is far from helpless. Let me know what you think so far. **


	34. Chapter 33 Lars and the Majesties

**Chapter 33: Lars and the Majesties**

**And so I was done with this chapter at last. It's funny. The next from here was actually going to be this one, but then I realized that I needed this little treat in between in order to fill some gaps. I was actually planning to jump right to Varian, but I figured out that fitted better for the next chapter perhaps after adding this. But... the little detail I've added is gonna be of importance to our young friend. I hope you'll like it. Forgive me for making it a bit long, but I hope you'll enjoy it even more. **

In the grand dining room, it was a rather tense atmosphere. It was only Frederic, Arianna and Prince Lars, and the dinner wasn't the most flattering one would expect in royal company. The impressive turkey with potatoes and vegetables and sauce that was intended and extended for the evening worthy of any important guests had been reduced to a rich, but yet simple stew with whatever was left to make anything of. Even though Frederic had been looking forward to the dinner, formal or not, he was hungry after a long day of stress, as neither he or Arianna had managed to eat much after Varian's ridiculous play during the lunch. But neither he or Arianna found themselves in dire need of enjoying any meal at all. Only Lars seemed to eat with a certain appetite, and they hoped this was the reason for his silence. At last, Frederic wasn't able to hold himself and tried to break the ice.

"Well... This was not the worst I have had. It's not so extravagant, but it's certainly... tasty."

"Yes, Violet deserves credits for saving... whatever was left of it." Arianna replied, glad for the excuse for a conversation. "Poor thing, she had enough on her mind. I'm impressed she managed so well."

"If you ask me..." Lars said after swallowing a spoon, and the King and the Queen held their breath in waiting for his reply.

"I have always hated extravagant. So this fits me rather perfect." he smiled honestly. "Please tell Violet I was most satisfied."

Both of them let out a silent breath of relief, and Arianna managed to return a smile. "I'm sure she'll be happy to hear."

They kept on eating in silence for a while, but the invisible ice wall seemed to have thawed a bit and after a while, Frederic asked out of simple curiosity.

"So... Annabelle will not join us for dinner tonight?"

Arianna on the other hand, became a little stiff again at the mentioning of their niece. "Eh... no. She was so... exhausted that she... didn't feel for it. Besides... she was rather upset about... her father's leaving and... Ruddiger's interference." Arianna tried to sound steady, but her flicking eyes and trembling voice gave away how nervous she was.

Lars looked up and rose an eyebrow. "Ruddiger?"

"Varian's raccoon that..." Fredric begun, but Lars interrupted him.

"That Daniel found and just picked up like that?" Lars suddenly found himself chuckling when he thought back on the moment in the garden. "When I think of it now... It's so ridiculous." He kept on laughing.

Frederic too had to smile from it and joined his laugher. "Yes, I can't avoid to see the humor in it now."

Arianna on the other hand had trouble to see the humor in it and remained silent, something Frederic noticed after a while and so did his best to calm down when he got a look from her.

Then after a minute laughing, Lars gathered himself and became serious and put his elbows on the table. "But one thing to another... Since you have been honest with me today, I might as well be honest with you, Frederic." The look he gave him, made Frederic feel worried at sudden.

"Ruddiger..." Lars begun and led his spoon up, pointing it towards Frederic. "...saved you today."

"Ehm... What do you...?" Frederic didn't get a chance to finish before Lars spoke again.

"Before Ruddiger's sudden... appearance, Valponce had in mind of getting you alone..." Lars held his look. "To interrogate you!"

"What? About what?" Frederic bursted out, and Arianna chocked a gasp.

"About Corona's current situation." Lars kept on, letting his spoon float around like it helped him sum up. "The black rocks, your daughter's disappearance and return along with her magical hair, the attacks on the Kingdom, and... a certain young man!"

Arianna went pale and discreetly looked at her husband, who met her gaze briefly, but enough to tell her that this wasn't going to be good.

"You should be glad that Valponce didn't learn of Varian's escape today. There's no telling to what he could have said about it. Duke Valponce is not unfamiliar with what Varian has done towards the Kingdom. But he has also heard rumors about the so called wizard that has been dwelling in Old Corona long before all this has happened. Dangerous explosions, mystic happenings..."

"But Varian is no wizard of any sort! You have seen so for yourself." Frederic said, getting frustrated as this was a subject they had already been through.

"Try to tell His Grace. My brother-in-law is actually convinced that there really is magic going on there." Lars looked up again. "Valponce hates magic. He despise it. To him, magic is an illness. That is actually the real reason why he and Annabelle never came to meet Princess Rapunzel when she returned, even though they should have been the first in line to be there. And when her magical hair came back so mysteriously... and all these black rocks started to spread all over the Kingdom... it has only helped to straightened his already strong suspicion."

"Of what?" Frederic asked shocked.

"That Corona is... How am I suppose to say it... corrupted by magic. And..." Lars tried to calm his look, but the words came as sharp as the edge of a glass no matter how softly he said it. "He blames you for it!"

Frederic felt a pang in his heart by the words, and lowered his gaze as he sighed. "Oh well. I cannot deny that he... was one of those who objected rather harshly when I decided to..." he leaned back on his chair and lowered his head, not really able to speak about when he removed the magic golden flower, as it reminded him of Rapunzel - and of Quirin. "If only I..."

"Frederic!"

Frederic looked up to face him, and there was nothing but understanding in his brown eyes. "I would have done the same... to save Helga." He lowered his head and suddenly gave a heavy sigh. "And I imagine the boy would have done the same if it could save his father."

"He did!"

The sudden sharp voice of Arianna cut like a knife in the air, and both men faced her.

"He stole it from the vault with the intention of using it to rescue his father."

"Perfectly understandable!" was Lars' short reply.

Arianna however was starting to get frustrated and looked at him with stern, green eyes. "Dear Lars, I am glad you understand our problem with Varian, but..."

"Honestly, Your Majesty... sorry for interrupting, but... the way I see it, it's not Varian that is the problem here." Lars gave a stern look back. "It's the way he's been handled."

"What do you..." Arianna asked, and Frederic too felt the sting in his comment.

"What I mean is, now with no memory of his wrong doings, he seems like such a nice, bright young man. A personality like his doesn't change over the night without something... provoking it." He became rather dark when he said this, and suddenly it was like a shadow covered his face.

As the day had been a rather harsh test for her already, Arianna felt she was about to have enouh and became a little stern when she spoke. "Lars, forgive me for being so directly, but it seems to me like you're not taking this seriously."

"And what about the boy?" Lars looked up, his normally mild brown eyes were cold as stones. "What about him? Doesn't he have any rights?"

Frederic looked at Lars, then at Arianna, who's green eyes war looking for a little help, and so he looked back at Lars. "Listen, Lars. I don't want to be too hard on the boy, especially not in his current condition, but sooner or later the boy will eventually have to face the consequences of his actions. Once in the future, there must be a trail, and..."

"What am I hearing?!"

Frederic wasn't able to continue his speech as Lars suddenly rose from the chair with a look in his eyes that were shooting daggers and his teeth clenched like a furious animal. "Frederic! You said yourself that you had wronged him severely! How can you go back on something so serious when the consequences are so severe? He was one you your subjects, and it was your duty to protect him. Instead you turned your back on him just as much as the Kingdom itself! How DARE you speak of justice?!"

Lars' suddenly harsh tone made them withdraw back in their chairs. Lars however seemed to suddenly get to himself and seemed to notice their reactions. Getting his panting breath under control, he calmed down, letting out a deep breath while lowering his head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... I too have my moments of appealing to the famous... temper of the Westergaards."

They weren't certain if it was laughter or chocked sobbing they heard as he rose from his chair and walked towards one of the windows. There he stood for a while and got his breath under control. The King and the Queen exchanged looks and turned back at him, not certain of how to handle the situation from there. After almost a minute in silence the red haired Prince turned around, walked back towards the table with slow steps. By the table, he sat down and poured himself more wine in his cup and drank some sips before he spoke, with a deep sadness in his voice.

"I'm sorry. I..." He pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled heavily. "Maybe... you'll understand it better if... if I tell you something. It might... make you both understand... my point of view... about Varian!"

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Outside the Castle walls, the Captain of the guards were leading a group of men around the courtyard. The Captain himself seemed more dedicated than ever as he silently led his men around the courtyard, past the stables and towards the next corner. There he stopped, and his men, all eight, stopped in unison.

He turned around and faced them with a certain pride, along with a solid doze of determination. When he spoke, he didn't raise his voice, but all his men knew that when the Captain of the Guards spoke, one remained silent. Especially if you were one of his guards.

"Men. Today there were made a mistake. Such a severe mistake that it cannot be forgiven. A prisoner escaped today, and not just anyone! The dangerous Varian slipped out of our hands like a slippery fish!"

They all mumbled silently, but they remained calm.

"This was a dreadful miss that I expect NOT to happen again. Not under ANY circumstances. "

"However... this prisoner happens to be in the medic's apartments. The very same place as he sent many of you for recovery not more than a month ago!"

"Including you, Captain!" one of them marked out, causing the Captain to glare at him, making him regret his words and hide under his helmet.

"As I was saying... he is in there, recovering from an injury, getting a taste of his own medicine. And..."

The Captain stopped himself when he heard a couple of the men chuckling and cleared his throat, making them look up.

"And what is so funny, gentlemen?"

"Well, it's just..." one of them covered a snort behind a hand. "He's in the medic's and you said taste of his own... medicine..." his voice faded as he saw the sharp look the Captain gave him. Then the Captain drew his breath silently and appeared milder, but when he spoke, they went all stiff when they heard what he said.

"Tell me, is there anyone here who fancy joining Pete and Stan for potato peeling and boot polishing the next two week?"

All the guards went nervous and shook their heads rapidly.

"Well then!" He couched. "Like I said, it's a dangerous prisoner we're dealing with here. The Court Medic has forbidden us to interfere with him in person, but we cannot be too careful with this one. Therefore, this is what we will do..."

The men gathered closer as they listened to the Captain's plan.

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Lars was walking up the stairs towards the bedrooms when he realized that he had taken a sip too much of the wine. He held towards the railing and felt his head was getting heavier the further up he got. He felt dizzy, but he wasn't certain if it was because of the alcohol or if it was because of the subject he had just spoke of. His thoughts were tumbling around about the rather peculiar conversation he just had with the King and Queen in the dining room. The delightful, simple stew suddenly felt like a heavy lump in his belly, and he feared that it would return up if he went too fast.

_"Now you know." He stood still beside his chair, looking away from them. He hadn't been able to either sit still or look them in the eyes when he spoke, and he wasn't able to face them now either. It was a wild mixture of shame, sadness and anger in his eyes, and he was afraid he wouldn't be able to hold back anything if he looked up too fast. _

_"Oh dear..."Arianna said, sitting completely numb in her chair. Her anger had faded and she looked guilt ridden and sad. "I am so sorry. I... I don't know what to say?"_

_"I think it's best to say nothing. Especially when Jonas is around." Lars looked at them at last, being able to, if not change the subject, then turn it a bit. "You see, Jonas and Hans... They were eachother's only friends and companions. But Jonas wasn't able to stop him from doing what he did in Arendelle... And his... accidental death in the stables didn't make it easier as it left him all alone as a mocking victim to our other brothers." He drew his breath. "And that is why I want to help Varian." Lars drank some water to moisture his throat. "You see... He reminds me of... my brother... when he was at that age. He had such a good nature, but his desire to please our father... and to prove our brothers they were wrong about him... led him to do those things. It was wrong, but... he was driven..." He gave a heavy sigh, leaning on his chair while resting his upper body on his elbows. _

_"That's why I brought... Jonas here. To give him a fresh start. I couldn't help Hans, but... I could help him. I explained the situation for him, and... I know he too feels the same... for Varian." He led a hand up to his face and rubbed his tired eyes. He looked tired and heavy in mind, the Majesties didn't think it was wise to bother him. _

_Frederic grabbed the word after he realized Lars was finished. "I can assure you that Jonas is as welcome as any of you. And we... understand this. I wish I could say anything to console you both."_

_"I have to admit, I already like your brother allot. I got a very good impression of him, and I think we will be friends." Arianna said, at last able to smile as the subject were a little changed. "We will take good care of him, I promise. And... we won't mention Hans while he's present. That I can guarantee." _

_"Thank you. I appreciate that." Lars said, chocking a yawn. "If there is nothing else, then I bid Your Majesties good night." _

_"Good night, Lars. I hope you manage to sleep despite of this." Frederic said. _

_"Thanks so much, Your Majesty!" Lars bowed politely and begun walking towards the door, but stopped himself and turned around as he suddenly realized something. "By the way, I think it isn't necessary to mention that we don't have to include Annabelle in this. She would only tell her father, and... she simply cannot keep secrets. She's horrible at it."_

_"Then that is nothing more to discuss." Frederic said and smiled. "We will avoid the subject whenever she's present." _

_Lars was able to smile at last. "I am glad we agree!"_

Now he had gotten worried if he had gotten too far. As he struggled himself up the stairs, he started mumbling to himself, completely lost in thoughts.

"They would have figured it out sooner or later... Nigel is so well informed... But it wouldn't..." He sighed and stopped in the stairs for a moment to gather his thoughts."Of all things... In one hand, this could be just the thing to help them both. On the other hand, it could lead to disaster in both directions. Or maybe just one... " He clenched his fist towards the railing and pulled himself to walk again. "I should have asked him first, but... the situation got out of control. How could I...Quiet, Lars, you're talking to yourself again, and- AAAGH!"

He had just reached the last step in the staircase when he stopped and would have fallen backwards hadn't he been holding so hard to the railing wit one hand, and the shest of his jacket with the other, when he realized someone was standing at the top of the staircase, staring, directly at him. The tall, slim figure gave him an intense look in his direction, standing all still. But Lars managed to let the air out of his lounges when he recognized the well known characteristic features of the face, and the huge green eyes that didn't really look at him directly.

"Friedborg! You certainly gave me a scare now." he said as he walked the last steps up and appeared beside her. She followed him with her look, not replying.

"I'm sorry. I seem to have had too much to drink." he laughed nervously. "You won't tell anyone, will you?"

The silent lady-in-waiting stood all still and just observed him, but her red lips were slowly curving up towards a smile. Other ladies-in-waitings' and maids and servants would have turned their looks down in the presence of a Prince, but Friedborg kept her gaze fixed on him with no shyness or modesty at all.

"Thanks! I knew I could rely on you!" Lars replied, still a little shaken. "I hope you'll excuse me. I... It's been a long day." He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry. I won't disturb you anymore. Ehm... I'll see you in the morning. Good night." He gave a light nod towards her and turned to walk away.

The silent and reliable Friedborg didn't reply, but she followed him with her eyes, and as she saw him disappear past the next corner, her smile widened to its fullest.


	35. Chapter 34 Varian in Bed

**Chapter 34: Varian in bed **

**Here is at last the long wanted chapter where our little hero returns. I'm sorry it took so many chapters, but details are important in a story sometimes. I hope you'll enjoy this one. In return for letting you wait so long, I've made this a long one. **

**After many many chapters *chuckle* the day is more or less over very soon. We're back to Varian at last here. He's had a long day behind him, and even though he remembers only half of it, it's been a weird one. **

After a long day of confusion, Varian were tugged up in bed again, full and clean at last. He wore a plain, white night shirt that reached him below his knees and were a bit too long on his arms, so he had rolled up the sleeves to his wrists. He thought his arms looked skinnier than usual and thought it was from the huge shirt, as he was not really aware himself that he had months of nurturish neglect behind him. But from the situation itself, he felt little where he lied leaning on the back of the bed supported by the pillow with his knees pulled up under the blanket. Ruddiger laid curled up by his left side and enjoyed the cuddle Varian gave with one hand. He too was all worn out after a long time worrying about his master, and now that Varian seemed to have gotten allot more back to normal, he felt that he had earned the rest now.

But his master's mind were far from calm. Varian was disturbed and confused and as he cuddled his friend's fur, it was actually something he did to comfort himself. Right now, Ruddiger was the only familiar thing he had near him as not even his goggles were present. And Ruddiger were also the only one he knew among many new strangers. As he had only been in contact with the people from the village of Old Corona, and meeting so many new faces in one day had been more than odd for him; especially with the King himself.

Varian let a heavy sigh escape through his lips as he lookedtowards the closed curtains. He had been ripped off everything he knew and were now stuck on odd, strange surroundings and didn't know how to handle it. He struggled to believe that he really were missing over half a year of memory. He had been told how he got there, but that story itself were so odd in his mind.

The old Physician saw this clearly on his face as he approached him. The boy was confused and worried and even though his brain had stopped him from recalling anything of the past, it was obvious that his logical mind was trying to figure out of this puzzle. So when he approached his bed, he had the pure intention of disturbing his mind from this in order to give him some peace.

And eventually prevent another possible fit.

He carried with him a little cup of a white liquid that he put on the nightstand beside his bed as he spoke. "Are we comfortable?"

"Eh..." Varian woke up from his thoughts and faced the friendly face of the physician with an insecure smile that didn't reach all the way up. " Sure, yeah. Sure. I'm just... fine..." He flicked with his eyes as he spoke, not able to meet his friendly gaze.

"I brought you something to make your head feel better." he said, pointing at the small cup. "I would recommend you to drink it all in one sip."

Varian bit his bottom lip before he spoke. "Thanks, but... I'm fine, really. There is no need to..." he interrupted himself when he spotted something behind the curtain by the right window. "Is-is there someone at the window?"

He said this mostly to distract the old physician from his constant concern for him, but he was reviled when Phineas actually turned around and walked towards said window, making Varian silently let out a small sigh of relief.

Phineas on the other hand were curious, and as he approached the window, he swore he could hear voices. As he discreetly peeked under the curtain, he widened his eyes and put the curtain on place. Then he looked up at the boy with a smile.

"It was probably nothing. Now, I'll be right back, and we'll both tug up." the Physician said smiling and headed for the door.

"But, Phineas..." Varian said, looking after him as he walked towards the door. "You don't have to sleep in here for my sake. I'll be fine, really!"

"I'm the one who decides if you are fine or not, and if I choose to observe you during the night, that's my decision." the old man said adamant, but he smiled as he went through the door. "Now excuse me, I have one last issue to deal with!" And then he closed the door behind him.

Varian scoffed and leaned back on the pillows.

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The moment he closed the door behind him, Phineas frowned as he stormed towards his own chamber across the room, first entering his laboratory to close the curtains on the window. Then he walked to the other door, where there was a small corridor with three other openings covered by curtains. He entered the two others, covered the windows and he went to the first, that were his own. His two assistants had been given some days of since they had been covering for him in his absence. Besides, Phineas were afraid they would only be in the way. The two other chambers would therefore be empty, and this fitted Phineas perfect for his plan.

Inside his own chambers, he walked over to the window, opened it and turned to his right. There he spotted several guards, up to about eight, standing by the windows of the sick room.

"Fools! I thought I only said a pair..." he muttered, but then he spoke louder in their direction. "Gentlemen!?"

They all turned to his direction, in a rather disturbed hurry.

"You're on the wrong spot. THESE are the windows you're supposed to watch!"

They all muttered to themselves as they walked over to him.

"It is this, the two others here..." he pointed at the two others to his left. "...and this. Now, I demand you stay quiet all night through. I don't want you to disturb my patient! Or me for that matter! And I know the King will be very upset with you if you disobey at this!"

"You mean the prisoner?" one guard asked.

"Are there more than one?" another one asked.

"Were you sent to ask questions, gentlemen?" Phineas asked sarcastically.

They looked at eachother before a third one spoke. "No, but..."

"Then remain quiet for the rest of the night, and do NOT move from here one minute of the night. Am I making myself clear?"

"Yes, Sir." the third one said and made a salute, which the others followed.

"Then goodnight, gentlemen!"

"Good night, Master. And good luck."

Phineas hurried to close the window and cover it. Then his lips broke into a smirk. "Yes, now these empty rooms will be well watched... as no one will be disturbed." Then he looked across the room.

While the other two rooms contained mainly a bed and a dresser, his own room were quite different. There were no bed here, but a writing desk with a panel covering it, the kind of desk with a working plate hiding the many shuffles inside it that you could lock with a key. A tall closet with painted wooden panels covering the doors stood beside it, decorated with a complex pattern. He approached the closet and opened it, grabbing a roll of clothing and a pillow. Then he closed the door to the closet and headed back to the sick room, preparing a key from the pocket of his sleeve.

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"I just don't get it, Ruddiger." Varian said out in the air, leaning back on the pillows as he stared up at the roof. "Nothing of this makes any sort of sense."

The raccoon only looked up at him with one open eye, as he too had a hard day behind him and as his master were seemingly back to normal, he felt that he could relax and wasn't really in the mood for anything else.

"I just find it so hard to believe that Dad would ask the King himself to look after me while he's gone... away." The last word died on his lips as the knot in his belly were getting tighter. "The only reasonable explanation I can come up with, is..." he suddenly became moody. "If no one of... Old Corona's folks would... take me in." he looked away. "I guess they were most likely afraid that... something would... that I would cause something, or... I bet Mrs. Sourson haven't forgotten, and... Ah, well..." He looked down. "I was only gonna help her with her baking... I didn't know the dough was gonna swell THAT much."

Ruddiger looked up at him, sensing his master's sadness, and not being able to sleep anyway, he stretched out and climbed up in his lap. Varian faced him as he spoke again, gently grabbing a hold on him with both hands.

"It's happened before. They think I'm odd or... just..." he lowered his head on his up pulled knees. "Can't say I blame them. It's just so odd that Dad would go to this level to keep me somewhere. I mean, he knows I can take care of myself. I'm not a child." He kept scratching his furry companion's head as he looked around the room, only lighted up by the candle by his bed table to his left as the curtains were still pulled for.

"And not just that..." Varian faced the raccoon again, whispering this time. "Did you see how filthy the water became when I bathed?" he made a face. "And the ham in my pocket, and that carrot... What have I been doing here? I am so ashamed that the King and Lars saw me like that. If Dad knew..." he bit his bottom lip and made a face.

Ruddiger nudged his head up under his chin, and Varian replied the cuddle by wrapping his arms around him, like a child that clanged to a stuffed animal.

"The only explanation I can figure out, is... I bet I've tried not to bother the Majesties, and... Let's say... Maybe I got hungry, and... Gosh, did I really go as far as stealing from the royal kitchen?" The shocking thought made him wrap tigher around himself. "What if the Majesties... I wouldn't be surprised if they forgot about me and... I've had to..." he shook his head. "No... Or could it? It would make sense since neither Karen or Violet knew who I was... And neither did Phineas..."

"That is true indeed, I didn't know about you. But I just arrived back today, so how could I?"

Varian went all stiff and silent when he heard the physician's voice in the room again, and blushed rapidly at sudden. But the old man didn't say more, only closing the door, and seemingly started quarreling with the handle as he discreetly put the key in to lock it. "Ridiculous old thing. Seems I must have Xavier up here again to have a look at the old doors." he smiled as he hid the key away and approached the boy's bed with a smile, holding a couple of clothing rolls.

In the end, the boy couldn't stand it any longer, and let out a heavy sigh. "Phineas, please be honest with me! What am I doing here?"

"I know nothing more than what I have been told, just like you right now. But I thought I instructed you not to ponder too much?" he said as and smiled as he unfolded a rolled madras on the floor beside him to his left.

"I know what you said, but my head don't agree with you." Varian said, not looking at him.

"Ah, I see. I know it's hard, but I know you can make it if you try, lad."

"I know, but I... S'cuse me, are you..." Varian forgot about himself and straightened up and arched an eyebrow at him as he watched him deal with the bed clothes. "You're not gonna sleep on the floor, are you? There are lots of other beds here." he flung his arm out in the room to point them out.

"They are required for patients and must be ready for use at any time." the Physician said as he put down a small pillow near the foot end of the bed and unfolded a blanket across the improvised bed. "Besides, in my father's homeland, they all sleep on the floor. In my mother's land, where my father was studying medicine, they used beds, but I have over the years found this a rather practical way of sleeping. Because you can just put the bed clothes away in the morning, and then use the sleeping spot for other kind of use doing the day. It saves up allot of space. And while I have been traveling for a couple of months now, this has been a practical way to sleep. I bring my own bed with me. Besides..." he unfolded and took off the long, light green robe of his and hung it over the foot end of Varian's bed and hung his hat on one of the bed knobs, leaving him in only a light yellow smaller robe underneath. "Madrasses makes my back hurt. I am not a fillie anymore, I must take care of myself in order to take care of others. "Phineas kept on as he crept under the blanket.

"Yeah... Sounds like a practical idea if you're living tight." Varian gave a short laugh, then he looked up and smiled. "Hey, what a great idea, I could do that in my lab... Once I get home that is..."

"I do not think I would have slept in my own lab, as the smells of my herbs would disturb me. I sleep in my study."

"You have a lab here?" Varian leaned forward with his eyes threatening to pop out of his head of excitement.

"Well, I need to make my medicine somewhere." Phineas replied and smirked. "If you're a good patient, maybe I'll show you."

"Eh... sure..." Varian replied a little insecure, feeling at sudden as he was treated like a child again.

The old man gave him a gentle look. "Do you find my presence bothering, young man?"

"No no, don't get me wrong. I know you're just doing your job. I just... I hate to be at bother to anyone."

"But you are not at all a bother, Varian." Phineas said honestly. "In fact, you're the most interesting patient I've ever had. Finally someone who understands my scientific methods and my desire for progress."

"Really? Eh..." the flattering compliment came a little unexpected towards him, as compliments happened to be rare to him.

"In fact, I believe you and I have allot we could learn from eachother, and I think we will have many interesting conversations in the future!" He stretched out his limbs. "But now I believe it's time for you to drink that tonic I gave you and get some sleep. I'll be keeping an eye on you for a while to make sure you're alright. But there's a new day tomorrow, and there will be plenty of time for us to explore eachother."

"If you say so..." Varian said as he grabbed the cup by the bed stand and emptied it on one sip, and immediately regretted as the taste made him practically twist his face in and out, making an awkward sound he had no control over.

"I take it I added too much salt?" Phineas joked with a smirk from where he sat.

Varian shook his head fast a couple of times and begun scraping his tongue with his front teeth to remove the taste as he kept making odd sounds. "If you have, I wouldn't have noticed." he shivered. "I don't think I wanna know what you put in there!"

"Better not!" the old man chuckled and laid his head down. "Now tell me, you said you were a scientist?"

"Yes, I am." he replied proudly, briefly forgetting the taste in his mouth.

"Now tell me, because I am rather curious, what you work with. What's your goal in life? WHat do you want with science?"

"I wanna make everyone's life better with the help of science. I'm making lot's of inventions and machines that's gonna revolution everything from washing clothes and dishes, and even whole rooms, to cutting wood and planks and beams and... I have this great idea for a saw... If only my Dad would let me try it..."

Varian wasn't aware of this himself, but as he kept speaking with grand eager of all his great ideas, he was getting more and more woozy and drowsy as the tonic were kicking in and making him sound less and less serious. Ruddiger were puzzling over his behavior and discreetly stretched out and sniffed the cup his master had been drinking, wrinkling his nose and pouting as he concluded that it was most likely not worth trying.

"Like that bed of yours... Now-fa a sudden I wonder if that could be m-even more pracicial... practing..."

"Practical?" Phineas helped him, smiling with amusement, not only for his behaviour, but because he was amazed by the boy's creative mind.

"Yeah yeah, like you said. What if... we made it into a folding..." he clapsed his hand together rather clumsy. "...either a suitcase to travel with, and on the way it could be used as a chain... I mean chair. Or maybe... Wouldn't it be cool if it could be disguized as a nice chair in daytime and then fold it out when you're..." he flung his arms out to demostrate, but his amr fell down on both sides as his muscles were losing their strength. Likewise, he wasn't able to hold back huge yawn, and failed as well to keep himself up anymore as his head sank down on the pillow at last, and his last babbling became only a mumbling.

"I... I'll show his Majesty... The chair bed... Once I get the chance..."Another yawn interrupted him. "Who would have thought... that the King had a squirrel...?"

Phineas had enormously trouble keeping his laughter at leech from where he sat and listened, but at last it seemed like Varian had drifted away. The Physician smiled and lied his head down. "Sleep tight, my young friend. Cause tomorrow will be an interesting day." the Physician leaned back on his pillow, letting himself drift away at last. "For all of us!"

**More Asian knowledge for those who wants. Some might have guessed, Phineas' father is from Japan while his mother is from China. His origin will be explained later, but I just couldn't resist using the bed thing. **


	36. Chapter 35 Evening in the Castle

**Chapter 35: Evening in the Castle. **

**Since I feel bad for waiting so long before getting back to Varian, I'm gonna spoil all my followers with another chapter. Maybe a bit long, but... so what? **

**Varian is not the only one getting ready for bed. Warning! Hint of alcoholism! For those who need this. **

In the royal bedroom, it had been normal the last year that it was Frederic who sat up and worried ever since his daughter returned. He would either express his constant concern in a long monologue or sit and ponder with his head in his hands, or walk back and forth without rest.

But now it was Arianna who had trouble getting rest. While Frederic were already in bed, Arianna walked across the floor all over the room, unable to calm down. Her arms were either flinging out in the air or wrapped around herself, if she wasn't grabbing her temples.

"Arianna, you're making me dizzy with this restless walking. Won't you come to bed?"

"How can I? When I know he's..." she flung out her arms towards the door, before she shook her head and kept walking.

"My dear, there's nothing to worry about. The Captain put out guards in front of the doors to the sick room, and outside the windows. You don't have to worry."

"That's easy for you to say! You haven't been..." Arianna replied, a bit crosser than she intended, and she had to stop and draw her breath. Realizing she was acting hysterical, she sighed and walked towards the balcony door. She stood there for moment, letting herself calm down before she spoke. "I'm sorry, Fred. I know you think I'm overreacting." She let her sight gaze at the night sky. The stars were already shining brightly along with the crescent moon, but the sight didn't please her.

"I know I sound like the cruelest woman in the world when I say that I don't want him near me. And I know you feel guilty about him, and I don't blame you for that. Don't get me wrong; he's young, and I know Lars is right. He needs help more than punishment, and I want to make sure he gets what he needs, but... I just wish there was another way we..."

She stopped herself in a loud gasp when she felt a sudden grip around her shoulders. With a quick move she spun around and held up her tied fists to defend herself, almost snarling. For a brief moment it was a huge black shadow she expected to see, with red eyes and an enormous metal claw for a hand ready to grab a hold on he, lift her up and squeeze her... And a young boy with black hair that would grin devilishly at her.

But when she looked up, she found only her husband, looking at her in confusion, his blue eyes wounded and worried at the same time. "Beloved...?"

The sore tone in his voice made her own lips quiver, and she covered her mouth with both hands. "I'm sorry, Fred... I'm sorry, but I can..." her voice chocked in a sob, and she turned around and ran towards the dressing screen near her closet and the mirror table.

Frederic didn't know where to put himself. It wouldn't have made a difference if she had slapped him in the face, he would have felt the same. But feeling concerned, he choose to ignore the growing pain inside and walked slowly towards the screen and carefully peeked around it. There he saw her leaning down on the chaise where she let out her tears and sobbed like it was for life. "Arianna, my dear..."

"DON'T! I can't help it, Fred..." she gasped. "I just... can't..." Her voice broke into another more violent fit of sobbing.

Fredric felt a sting in both eyes and blinked a few times. He pressed his lips tightly together to get his bottom lip under control as he turned around and walked back to the bed, listening to his wife's cries behind him. Laying down under the blankets, as far to the edge of his own side as he could come, he had one last look towards the dressing screen, before dimming the light out of the oil lamp on his bed stand and placed his head down on the pillow, where he finally allowed his own tears to fall.

"Forgive me, beloved. Please forgive me..."

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Nigel put the ribbon he used for his hair carefully in a white bowl on the dressing table before putting on a white night cap. As he walked towards the bed, he looked at the door, he listened to figure if anyone was there. Drawing his breath, he walked towards the door and pulled the key back and forth one last time to ensure the door was properly locked. After pulling the door hard to make himself certain again, he let out as a heavy sigh as he walked back to the bed where he crept underneath the blankets and tugged himself up before grabbing the book he had on his night stand.

But he wasn't able to find calmness. He kept looking at the door, then back at the book, then back at the door again. After doing this a couple of times, he let out a frustrated moan and leaned his head back on the pillow. "How am I supposed to stay calm when he's just underneath this floor?" He looked up towards the roof. "I sure hope the Captain put out enough men... I should have asked him to spare some... No that would only..." He sighed and put the book away on the night stand. "What a ghastly situation!"

He leaned down to open the door in his night stand. There he brought out a little bottle that he screwed up and had a sip from. Letting out a sigh, he was about to screw the cork back when he changed his mind and took another sip. Then he restrained himself and screwed it on before putting the bottle away. Then he laid his head down on the pillow with the intention of going to sleep, but he knew deep inside that wasn't going to happen at first.

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Violet felt like the corridor in the servant's quarters were longer than ever. And for some reason her feet were almost numb. No wonder really, she thought to herself, after all the running and worrying, not to mention how she had to rush with the dinner in the end. How in the world she had managed all day were a mystery, and the tension from the day's many events had worn her out beyond her experience.

As she reached her own door though, she stopped herself. There was nothing she wanted than to simply fall down on her bed and not wake up until the morning. But a thought kept chewing on her mind. She looked to her left, to the door at the end of the hall, just before the window.

Karen's bedroom.

Her heart sank as she thought of their depart earlier, how she had just ran off in tears. It wasn't the first time. It had been a day where the same thing happened. A bit over a month ago.

_"Take that back! I don't care how true it is!" Karen had shouted furiously after her as she walked away. "You tell me that isn't really true, or I'll call you something worse than what Cassandra called you."_

_This had made Violet turn around and glare at her. "And what was that if I may ask?"_

_"An old lump of harsh meat that smelled like moth balls!" Karen replied dryly, but looked like she hadn't thought of actually say that out loud. _

_"Well, then I can tell you that what I said was true indeed. And so is this..."_

Violet shook her head to prevent herself from thinking of what she said that day, chocking a sob with a hand on her mouth. Sniffing deeply, she walked towards the young girls bedroom door, and thought for a moment to knock it and see if she was awake, but she stopped her hand. Then she thought of it again, but she didn't raise her hand even half the way this time. All she was able to do was to let out a heavy sigh.

A movement on her leg made her look down, and she found the orange striped cat peeking up at her and meowed.

"Oh... Am I blocking your way, dearie?" She stepped away from the door and knelt down to give him a few pats on his back, something the cat welcomed warmly as it replied with purring.

"I don't know what to do now." she said to the cat. "I know we should just gather up and clear things out all three of us, but it's not as easy as one thinks. I don't know what came over me that day. I didn't even mean half the things I said that day; at least not the way it came out. But I wonder if any of them will forgive me right away."

The cat meowed again, and she realized he was impatient with her. So she smiled at it and cupped his little furry chin. "You better stay with her till the morning. Hevan knows she needs you now." Violet said before she rose and stepped out of the way so the cat could sneak in through the little crack in the door into Karen's room.

She carefully opened the door and peeked through. Karen was already fast asleep, and Violet watched as the cat made its way up towards the bed and curled itself up near her head. The old maid smiled slightly and closed the door.

But she had barely been able to turn around when she heard loud moaning behind her and turned around to find Millicent, supporting herself towards the wall as she closed into the bedroom she shared with her mother. She was having trouble walking, she looked all blushed and sweat, her hair was messy and her cap was pushed up at the bottom of her corset.

Violet could see how tired she was and hurried over to her aid. "Honey, what's happened? You look like you have been through a cyclone?!"

"Princess... Annabelle... not... satisfied..." she had to draw for air between the words, looking like she was going to pass out. "...with anything!"

Violet hurried to open the door and let her lean towards her, almost dragging her along inside the room like she and Karen had dragged Varian with them some hours earlier. She kicked the door to close itself with her foot once inside and let her sit down on her bed.

"First she was angry that I hadn't been there from the start. Then I hung up her clothes the wrong way... 'they're not washing cloths to curl up'." She made a face when she was mimicking the Princess. "Then she was angry about the dinner, 'waste dish for animals'... I'm sorry Mother, but what happened with... Oh, never mind! And then for this Jonas not to come and see to her, and this and that and this again and that agsin..." she let out a heavy sigh. "And apparently I hadn't washed my hair well enough, which she found insulting since I was attending to her, but how was I supposed to know?"

"Oh my... Wasn't she even satisfied with the room?" Violet asked as she found the brush on the dresser and begun tending to her daughter's messy hair.

"The room...?" Millicent mumbled, barely noticing her surroundings. "That was... about the only thing she wasn't complaining about! Except there weren't any macaroons waiting for her...'I should have macaroons to feel welcome, and that's not what I've been today!'" she mimicked again before she moaned and threw herself backwards across the bed and stared up in the ceiling without actually staring at anything. "I'm sorry mother, but I had to fetch her something else from the kitchen. And then I had to serve her as well..."

"So what happened with the stew I had sent up?" Violet asked.

"I ate it myself." Millicent mumbled. "On my way down... Or else I'd never gotten time to eat. Or had any strength to keep it going."

"Thank goodness." Violet said, taking her hand in hers. She thought for a moment Millicent had fallen asleep when suddenly she spoke up.

"And you, mother? Anything exiting happened after they caught the prisoner?"

Violet's relaxed smile quickly turned to a stiff face at sudden.

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"So, you forgive me?"

Both the nephew and the uncle had changed to their bedclothes and robes Daniel sat upwards the pillows in the bed, half tugged up, while Jonas sat across him. They young boy's face still frowning a bit, but he slowly loosened up and broke into a half smile. "Alright then. But just this once!"

Jonas let out a sincerely relieved sigh. "Thanks, buddy."

"But you must come and see Varian in the morning." the boy said, with crossed arms in a strict manner.

"Of course I will." Jonas smiled. "I'm looking rather forward to it. And..."

"Am I interrupting?"

They both turned around to see Lars peek his head through the door. "I hope I don't interfere?"

"You are, Dad!" Daniel's frown returned on his freckled face.

Lars made his way into the room, giving his son an excusing look. "Oh, I'm sorry, Son. It's just that I..."

Jonas hurried to interfere and rose from the bed where he sat and grabbed the empty bowls on the left bed stand. "Brother, you're not going to believe..." He rose the bowls almost to his face. "Look who ate his WHOLE dinner tonight?!"

"What? You did?" For a moment, Lars forgot all about what he was doing there and smiled widely.

Jonas smiled back towards the young boy. "Even the vegetables? That's a good boy, Daniel. So good!"

"WHAT?" The freckled face went from frowned annoyance to shocked disbelief. "There were vegetables in it?"

"What?" Jonas broke into laughter. "Didn't you notice?"

The young boy didn't know what to think at first. Then his face went from shocked to angry. "I've been set up! Someone will pay for this!"

"Now now, son. Now you only sound just like Annabelle?" Lars said, unable not to chuckle. "You don't want that, do you?"

This comment made the words Daniel had intended as a spitting answer to die on his tongue before they came out, and instead he pouted and crossed his arms while he turned away from them.

"Okay, Daniel. I need to borrow your uncle moment, but you'll get him back quite soon." He dragged his younger brother along towards the door, leaving the boy alone, sulking in bed.

Lars didn't speak a word before they came to the next door where Lars had his bedroom. While inside, Lars hurried to lock the door. Jonas put the two bowls with spoons that he was still carrying on the closest table and, noticing his brother's sudden concern, walked over to him with slow steps.

"Lars... What's the trouble?"

Lars drew his breath and turned to face him, and got startled at once, as he saw his younger brother's face shaded at the moonlight behind him, giving him a rather frightful appearance at once. But moments later, he got used to the dark and his brother's features came back and made him relax. Then he cleared his throat and opened his mouth.

"We need to talk!"

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Arianna didn't know how long she had been lying on the chaise, but it felt almost like she must have cried herself to sleep, because she woke up from feeling cold, her eyes stiff from dried salt on her face and the back of the chaise still wet. It was all quiet in the room, and all of a sudden the fear returned. For a long moment she sat still, listening to the silence in the room, but then let out a sigh of her own ridiculous's behavior and rose, grabbing a hold on herself.

_What must Frederic think of me? _

She drew her breath as she summed up to herself all the reasons not to be afraid. She was up in her own bedroom and not in the laboratory of a desillutionated young boy. She had guards on the other side of the door, and Varian was heavily guarded inside medic's apartment where he was currently unable to even flee. There was nothing to be afraid of.

As she peeked from behind the dressing screen, she saw only the moon lightning up the room. She saw a lump on the bed, realizing it was her husband under the blanket. the oil lamp from her own bed stand hand most likely burned out.

She walked over to the bed, and stepped around to carefully see if he was asleep. She saw him lying on his left side, and when she got closer, she noticed the moonlight gave away a slight reflecting shine on the right side of his nose.

She felt how her heart sank. "Oh, Fred..." She led a hand towards his face and stroke away a bit of the leftover tear away with a slender finger. She touched the pillow underneath his face, and found it slightly damp. "Do forgive me, please? I'm so sorry." A lump in her throat prevented her from speaking before swallowing hard a couple of times. "I wish I could tell you what to do, but don't even know myself. Do forgive me, my love..."

She rose and walked with slow steps around the bed and over to her own side, where she grabbed a hold on the blanket to pull it over when something soft fell on her hand. When she grabbed a gentle hold on it, she recognized it as a silk handkerchief. Her heart skipped a beat when she discovered it was all dry.

Her Fred had been silently offering her this, while he himself had let his own tears fall freely. Her kind and gentle husband who suffered in silence and didn't show his pain to anyone because he needed to be strong. Strong for everyone, strong for a Kingdom who needed him to be so.

Strong for her.

Pressing her lips together, she slipped underneath the blankets at last, clenching the handkerchief close to her chest, when deep inside, there was another she really wanted to hold close, but weren't able to, no matter how much she tried.


	37. Chapter 36 Varian's Morning

**Chapter 36: Varian's Morning**

**Everyone, I'd just like to thank you for the attention this piece of fic has gotten, I am so happy for every follower that joins and for all comments. It means allot that you see the whole picture. **

**Yes mycove, I think we can all agree that Varian is at his most adorcable when he's being taken care of. Our poor little boy deserves all the care he can get, and there's plenty of people who wants to give him that. I'm so glad Phineas has been approved. I'll try to give more room for my other OC's in the future, hoping they'll get the same creds. **

**And ayzbraiker, You got it! It was JUST THIS different kind of perspective I was hoping to give about the Majesties and Varian, I'm glad you see this and point it out. Don't get me wrong, I love Arianna as a protective mother figure for Varian, and people are doing an incredible job with good fic's about it*winks to mycove*, but I have a plan for Freddie in this one, and boy I am curious to see everybody's reaction as this goes on... *wide sneaky smirk*. **

**Boy, I spent over 30 chapters on a single day... Perhaps about time to move on to next day? **

The sunlight carefully peeked through the small window, which wasn't really a window, but a small look out that served as a wake-up call. The bedroom was small, only room for a small bed and a night stand, and under the bed was a hidden dresser. Under the nightstand there was a bowl with a mug in it, and this was filled with water for morning wash. On the tip of the nightstand was a candlelight and a box of matches. So the room wasn't meant for more than sleeping.

This was where Karen spent her nights along with the kitchen cat Caterpillar. The door had a small crack by the lower hinge where the cat could come and go as he pleased. This was just a coincidence, but it suited both Karen and Caterpillar well. Right now, the red striped cat was curled up behind the hook behind Karen's legs where he had warm support behind his back.

Said cat noticed the light as the rays touched the spot next to him. Blinking a few times, a part of him refused to wake up, as his position was too comfortable. But in the end there was a dire need not to be ignored, and so he forced himself up, streching his body out to its limit back and forth, and then rose to walk over to his mistress to wake her.

Karen was fast asleep, holding a hand around the pillow with her face almost mashed into it. Her brown hair was half covering her face, but Caterpillar brushed some straws of hair away from her face, before he let his paw pat on her cheek. After doing this a couple of times, the girl got annoyed and turned her head around. Caterpillar realized he had to approach in a different way, and jumped over her shoulder and begun pushing his head under her arm while he purred loudly and nuzzling his shout to her chin, tickling her face with his whiskers.

At last the girl responded, and tugged him tightly to her body and cuddled with him for a while before the cat figured out it was time to get up and wriggled himself from her grip and meowed sweetly.

"Kay, okay... I'm coming." she mumbled tiredly as she forced herself up, yawning in the process. The orange striped cat watched as she found the bowl and the mug and poured water into the bowl, before giving herself a quick wash. As she got dressed, the cat got impatient and meowed a couple of times while he stroke against her legs.

"You little nagger. I'm almost done!" she said as she put her cap on before she lifted him up, cuddling him smiling. "Oh, I can't be mad at you."

The cat responded by nuzzling his head up under her chin, meowing a reminder to her that it was time to go.

"Alright, let's go." she proclaimed and snuck out the door.

Her small bedroom was a tiny one besides the bigger one that her aunt and grandmother's shared, but at least she got some privacy. Most of the maids were two or three about sharing bedrooms, but as the scullery maid she was getting up so early, and therefore she had a little room to herself so she could go to bed early without being disturbed by the elder maids, and in the morning she wouldn't disturb the others when getting up. It was a bedroom used my many scullery maids before her, and would probably be used by many others after her.

"I wonder when I'll ever be allowed to move in with the others..." she mumbled as she walked with the cat in her arms. "They'll have to get a new young girl to do my duties then. And who knows whenever that happens." she mumbled sarcastically as she looked down at the cat. "But you'll come with me if I change room, right?" Caterpillar meowed a respond to her as they left the bedroom quarters and entered the corridors.

The corridors were all silent early in the mornings, and any footsteps echoed in the hallways, but she had long experience in walking silently. While walking towards the kitchen, she noticed the paintings on the walls and smiled. She loved watching the noble faces and the fine clothes, especially the women's' lovely gowns and hair styles from different times.

"I wish I had gotten a closer look at Princess Annabelle!" she said dreamingly. "I hope I'll get my chance today. I heard the others say something about a wedding. Oh, I would love to help out in that, a little more than just cleaning and stuff."

As she approached the kitchen, she opened it with the cat in the lead. Then she went right through to the other kitchen door. There it was another small corridor for servants and another door to the garden, which she opened to let out the cat.

"Behave now, and don't dig in the flower beds."

The red striped cat meowed satisfied as he trotted out, ignorning her comment.

Then she walked back to the kitchen and started the preparations with lightening the oven. As soon as it was warm enough, she would prepare eggs and bacon and smoked salmon along with some vegetables, and start cook water for the tea for the royal breakfast.

"I sure wonder what the Princess would like for breakfast." she said to herself a she poured water into the copper pot. "If Aunt Millicent is going to attend the Princess, I wonder if I should wake up her as well as Grandma." She held that thought as she placed the copper pot on the oven to let it warm up. "Then again..." she frowned, recalling that she was still a little upset with them, and shrugged. "Auntie's old enough to mind herself."

Then she spotted the casseroles from the previous day, and her heart sank as she recalled all the things that had been. How Varian had startled her, and she struck him down with the frying pan and bringing him to the sick room; how the interaction with the royalties and the guests had gone; and in the end how she had tried to make him remember how he got there and then his dreadful reaction from this.

She felt a shiver run through her when she remembered his face when he began crying and clenching his teeth and grabbed his head like he was in great pain. She had felt so helpless and dumb, not able to do a thing to help him.

But not just that. It was everything else that had followed. The ruined dinner and the interference of the guests. Her outburst towards her Grandmother... She shook her head to remove the memory from yesterday and led her thoughts differently.

"I wonder how Varian's doing..."

She blinked hard. She just didn't manage to get him out of her mind. The more she had thought of the condition she had found him in, the more concerned she got and hadn't she been crying herself to sleep last night she wouldn't have had any sleep at all. Even though the King had been really understanding and ensured her she wasn't to blame, she still felt bad for him. It was just luck she hadn't gotten a nightmare about it.

Then she made up her mind. She found a small bowl which she filled with flour, before she went to find the butter in the storage and climbed up ladder to the seasons and found the cinnamon and sugar pots. Then she made some arrangements while the oven was getting warm enough, while a smile was creeping its way on her lips.

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In the sickroom, Phineas was rolling away his improvised bed. He had been awake for a while and had been watching the young boy still asleep. The young patient laid halfway over at his left side, his mouth half open in light snoring while his eyes were closed. The raccoon was sleeping by his left side, but peeked his eyes open at his movements.

"Good morning to you." he made a nod and smiled to him.

Ruddiger hadn't been all sure where he had the newest stranger yet, but as he recalled he had tried to help his master the other day, so he could at least conclude he could trust him.

"Your master seems to still be far off." the elder physician mumbled lightly. "He was not this calm in the night. I wonder what troubled him..."

Ruddiger looked back at his boy, like he realized what he referred to. During the night, Varian had been rather disturbed, and had been tossing and turning violently sometime in the night, but because of the tonic from Phineas he hadn't woken up.

"I believe it's time for him to wake up as well." Phineas said, making he raccoon look up at him again, seeing the elder man smile down towards him. "You or me?"

Ruddiger didn't reply, only turned towards Varian and stood up with a little strech to have a better view. Then he lifted a paw and begun scratching Varian's nose. The boy wrinkled his face and made a funny sound and lifted up his right hand to cover his face and turned his head aside.

But Ruddiger didn't give up sp easily. He grabbed a hold on the blanket, crept underneath it, and as the figure of him were moving back and forth under it, Varian suddenly started giggling.

"Ah-hahaha! Ruddiger, stop. Stop, it tickles-no no, stop please!"

The boy wriggled himself as the laughter turned into laud cries, and he kicked up the blanket and tried to crawl out. But Ruddiger were faster, and as soon as he realized he had manage to get him fully awake, the critter found a small passage through the blanket and escaped out faster than a blink.

Phineas couldn't yelp bud giggle himself, as he imagined the raccoon's claws most likely were of the ticklish kind. "Good morning, my young friend."

"What...?" Still giggling, he turned around, but he got quiet when he became aware of the bandage on his head, and a feeling behind his head. "It's itching... Outch!" he said as he led a hand behind his head to check what happened behind there, and when he took a short look at his fingers, his eyes went wide and he made the most awkward sound as he spotted a drop of blood. "Oh gosh!"

"Don't poke it. It's time to change it."

"What's going on? Where..." Varian said nervously as he suddenly became aware of his surroundings, which to him in an early awakening were not so familiar. "Where is this? What is this? Where... where am I?" he looked at him with trembling bottom lip, his blue eyes huge like eggs. "Who are you?"

Phineas was by his side as quick as a blink, gently grabbing his shoulders and made him face him. "Varian, young scientist; Focus! Look at me. Look at me, lad. Now, what is my name? Tell me, what is my name? Focus!" He was calm and gentle in his voice when he spoke to not frighten him but, determinant as well to get min distracted from his panicking.

"What? How... how should I..." Varian was beginning to hyperventilate.

"Listen carefully, lad. It's important that you look into my eyes when I say this!" Phineas said, his eyes locking the boy's.

Varian obeyed, frightened as he was, and his frightening egg shaped eyes met he physician's narrow dark eyes.

"My name is Yong Wang Wei!"

"Eh... WHAT?" Varian arched an eyebrow at him, his breath calming down at last.

"Yong Wang Wei. That's my name!"

"Huh?" Varian blinked and shook his head. "No, it's not! It's... Phineas! That's what it was."

"Well... Truth is..." He smiled and rose from the bed. "...it's not really."

Varian blinked in confusion. "But... Yesterday you said..."

"So you remember yesterday?"

"Yesterday... Here... at the..." he looked around, slowly realizing his current position."...Castle... Right? But how..."

"If I say... frying pan, what do you recall?"

"Princess Rapunzel... Eh..." He blinked a few times, then he looked at him again. "Did you say something?

"Frying pan, Varian. What does that make you think off?"

"Eh... breakfast? Pancakes... Yes, that's right. I demonstrated flipping pancakes for Daniel, and... Lars and..." he covered his mouth with both hands at sudden, and then he slowly developed a blush on his cheeks. "Is it true that I was speaking to the King?"

"Correct. Do you remember what he told you?"

"Eh..." he replied, staring out in the air. "What part?"

Phineas chocked a chuckle. "Yes, that too. But if you give yourself a moment to think, maybe you recall..." Phineas finished for him. "Now, give me one moment, and I'll get some water for that wound. We need to change the bandage and clean it. It might not be so pleasant, and you might have to close your eyes."

"For what?"

Phineas turned back and smiled. "There may be blood."

All color and blush faded from the young teen's face. He looked down at Ruddiger, who eyed him closely. "Buddy... I'm not sure I feel so well..." he whispered.

Ruddiger put both his paws on his knee, indicating that he would provide full support whatever came.

**Okay, for thos ehwo wonder, I made up Phineas' technique of making Varian calm down and remember. I just wanted to make a funny moment. **


	38. Chapter 37 Morning in the Castle

**Chapter 37: Morning in the Castle **

**Now for more Varian adorkable time! **

Karen smiled to herself when she saw the finish result on the plate on the little tray where a cup of fruit juice were already standing, along with an apple. She found a clean napkin that she wrapped into a little tent and put around the plate and the apple. She couldn't help but let out a little happy giggle.

She was just finished cleaning up after her little project and was about to carry it towards the door when she became aware of a strange sound near the servants door. She felt all color fade from her face when suddenly it was flung wide open and was horrified to see the royal chef enter, fearing she was caught red handed in something else than her duties.

But to her luck, the chef's first act was to give three loud sneezes into a huge handkerchief, preventing him from seeing her with the tray. Sighing of relief, she hid the tray behind a shelf near the wall that angled away from the view from in the room.

"Sir, what are you doing up? Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"Oh, Gaven. Id's jusd ou..." he said and gave his nose a blow that sounded like someone had played a bad tune on a trumpet.

Karen wrinkled her whole face in disgust from the sound and gave her ears a quick rub before she spoke. "You know, you don't look so well. Don't you think it would be better if you were fully recovered before you started working again?"

"Abter bhat I eard appened in here esterday?" the chef said with completely stuffed nose. "I gannod be gode bor one day bidoud... bidoud..." he covered his nose with the handkerchief again and hooted yet another loud sneeze. "By droat beels dike a oneycub. I do anydig bor domeding do id."

"Me too..." she rolled her eyes, but then suddenly she gave a light gasp and smiled. This incredibly stupid situation gave Karen a bright idea for an excuse to get out of there and to get to her destination after all, and took a step closer to him. "You know, the Royal Physician Phineas just came back yesterday. And I'm pretty sure he could brew you something that would make you feel better in no time."

"Oh?" the chef sniffed. "Gould he?"

"You know how good he is with his tonics." she smiled, hoping he would give in. "And like you said, we can't manage without you, so we need you fit as a fiddle."

The chef was about to answer when he got a violent coughing fit and was unable to answer for half a minute.

"Bell... gouldn'd urt to dry."

"Great! I'll... I'll go right up and find him." Karen said as she pushed the door open, and when he turned away to blow his nose again, she grabbed the tray while she held the door open with her foot, and slipped out as swiftly as Caterpillar would have done it. Satisfied with herself, she couldn't help but smile as she walked towards the medic's quarters.

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"You seriously had to change your name to blend in?" Varian asked when Phineas fastened the bandage. "Owtch, not so tight please!"

Ruddiger sat on his master's right side and held both paws on his arm for comfort while Phineas handled the bandage on his head, peeking up at the physician at times to figure out if this was any good for him.

The Physician put one last layer of bandage around the boy's head before he fastened it. "It was actually Xavier who came up with 'Phineas'. It means 'Oracle' of all things, and, well..." he smiled widely. "It wasn't the worst change I have made over the years. You... recall Xavier, right?"

"Eh... You mean the huge guy with the white hair and the leather apron? Sure, I... HEY! He took my goggles!" Varian suddenly cried out and straightened up as Phineas let go of his head, his eyes getting wide as eggs again. "How do I get them back?"

"They were broken, weren't they?" Phineas replied, trying to look at him to get his attention.

"Huh?" Varian met his look with flicking eyes, then he lowered his gaze as he slowly recalled. "Aww... Right."

Phineas gave him a pat on his lanky shoulders he said and carried away the old bandages. "I am sure he'll return with them as soon as he's fixed them."

Varian realized there were no point on sulking over his goggles as seeing the physician made him think back on the odd confession he had just given him. "What was it, you said your name was... Young... Young Wrong Way?" he failed to keep his chuckle behind his hand. "I'm sorry, no offence really, but..."

"None taken, my friend." Phineas smiled towards him and gave him a slight nod. "There was, in fact, a reason why I changed it. It was; Yong Wang Wei. But maybe we should keep my origin name for ourselves. I have a feeling that young Prince Daniel would find it rather amusing and will never take me seriously again." he smirked.

"Daniel?" Varian arched an eyebrow before widening his eyes and chuckled. "Ah yes! Him with all the uncles."

"So it's coming back to you now?" Phineas said smiling at him, doing his best to hide how curious he was about how much the young boy recalled.

"Ah... Yes." Varain replied, still giggling a bit, before he lost his smile. "I... I was in the kitchen..." He blinked. "Kitchen, here? At the Castle? For what?"

"Perhaps we need to take this step by step?" Phineas said and sat down on the bed beside him.

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Meanwhile, Karen were walking through the corridor with the tray in her hands. She was trained with carrying things carefully, and she had no trouble moving fast, but steady with the elegance of a lady. But she stopped when she spotted the two guards outside the doors to the sick room. The two guards looked rather tired and both of them were standing with half closed eyes and lowered heads.

"What's this?" she mumbled and arched an eyebrow. "I know His Majesty said to take care of him, but this is a little overrated." She got small eyes as she wondered whatever were going on. Then she spotted two other guards approaching, stopping in front of them.

"Morning, fellas. We have been sent to dissolve you. Has there been any trouble tonight? "

Both guards got startled by the sound of their voices as they were spoken awake, and almost lost their balance before replying.

"Not what we've heard." one of them said as he straightened on his helmet. "I say, I had the impression we were to be prepared all night, but it's been rather quiet in there if you ask me."

"I say, yesterday was rather odd, don't you think?" the other said.

"Yes, the Captain made it sound like it was such a big deal, but one could almost believe he weren't in there." then he chuckled. "Say, you heard about Pete and Stan? The Captain sure gave them a fit."

"Yes, poor fellas." one of the new guards shook his head. "I wonder if..."

As the guards were busy speaking to one other, Karen saw her chance and opened the door with her elbow, sliding inside and closed the door the same way. Once inside, she arched an eyebrow back at the door.

"I don't think I'll ever understand what it takes to be a guard. Can't get why Cassandra wants so badly to be one. Looks boring to me. " She shrugged and walked towards the door towards the sick rooms, when it opened, and the physician came through.

"Oh, good morning, Phineas."

"Good morning, dear." he nodded and spotted the tray. "Is that for me?"

"Eh..." she felt she got all mute at sudden, but the old man smirked.

"Cause I have already eaten. But I bet my young patient is rather hungry by now."

"Is he alright? I mean... feeling better? Eh..." she stumbled and looked down. For a moment she stood like frozen and felt her cheeks get all warm.

"He's fine, but I believe he'll feel even better when seeing you." he said as he walked past her.

Karen bit her bottom lip to prevent herself from stumbling anymore silly things. All of a sudden she felt rather nervous of going in there. She had been so confident before she entered, but now she felt all stiff. Swallowing hard, she had to force herself to take a step ahead.

Then suddenly she remembered her promise to the chef and turned back. "Oh, by the way..."

#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#

Inside the sick room, Varian was looking at his surroundings, feeling rather sorry for himself where he sat sulking against the huge pillows with Ruddiger on his lap. He helf his arms around him and cuddled his fur.

"This is rather dull, Ruddiger." he said. "I'm stuck in bed in the Castle, of all places, and I made such a fool out of myself yesterday, in front of His Majesty and everything. And Phineas... Oh, he's alright, that not it, but he treats me like a baby." He let out a heavy sigh. "I know it's just morning, buddy... but it feels like the while day has been ruined already."

The door opened and expected to see Phineas again, but instead he spotted a completely different figure entering. He saw the door being closed behind a young girl, about his own age, carrying a tray in her hands. His blue eyes became huge as he had trouble believing what he saw.

"Uhm... G-god morning, Varian." she said with a nervous smile, approaching with careful steps.

"Eh... " Varian's mouth remained open, but now words came out other than a stumbling, giggling sound.

"I... I hope you feel better." she said as she approached him. "Do... do you by any chance remember me?"

"Do I..." he sqeaked, then hurried to clear his throat and started flicking with his eyes and laughing nervously. "Uhm... I... eh... I mean morning-eh... Good morning to you m-miss...eh... Miss-Miss Girl?"

Karen had trouble keeping her own giggles at leach as she approached. "Don't push yourself. Just tell me if you..."

"Cassandra?"

The mentioning of the older lady-in-waiting's name suddenly made Karen drop her smile. She put the tray on the bed left to Varian and place her hands on her hips as she gave him a frown. "Pardon me?"

"NO WAIT!" Varian immediately shrieked himself and raised his hands in defend mode. "No no, sorry. I'm sorry, Karen... Karen! Karen, of course..." he raised his shoulders, hoping to hide his head between them. "I-I-I remember now that we talked about some Cassandra, and then that's the name that... popped up..." His embarrassed babbling faded when he saw how insulted she was. "I'm so sorry. I... You see, I've been messing with names all morning. I didn't even remember Phineas."

"Well, as long as you remember me." Still feeling a slight sting in her chest, she drew her breath and picked up her tray again. But the enthusiasm was gone and she spoke rather neutrally when she put it in front of him. "Anyway... I brought you some breakfast."

"Wait, what?" he widened his eyes as the tray was put in front of him. "Oh, geez, I... I don't know what to say. You shouldn't have..."

"It... was the least I could do. Since it was... Well, you... I don't know if you remember, but..." she turned her gaze down and started messing with her apron. Suddenly she wondered if it was a good idea if she came at all. After yesterday's dramatic happenings she became a little concerned if she should revile too much, fearing it would cause another of those fits. At the same time she became a little disappointed that it wasn't her name that came to his memory first. But she thought perhaps he would figure it out sooner or later, so she looked up and faced him. "I don't know if you recall, but... in the kitchen..."

"You were the one striking me with a frying pan?" Varian laughed as she suddenly recalled, and gave her an excusing look. "I must have frightened you pretty bad. But then again, the way I looked..." he giggled. "Can't say I blame you."

"Well, you did actually. " she said and sat down on the edge of the bed, and were met by Ruddiger. The raccoon were rather glad to see her and immediately gave her a gentle nudge with his head. Karen too lightened up at the sight of him, and returned the greeting with a stroke on his back. "Why, good morning to you too." The raccoon crooned loudly as she begun scratching behind his ear.

Varian gave a small cough. "Do I recall correctly that you... eh... had a cat? Red, am I correct?"

"Yes, Caterpillar." she said and scratched Ruddiger under his chin, making him croon along wih the movements.

"And he's doing alright?"

"Same morning bird as always."

"Eh... Karen?"

"Yes?" she looked up, and lost her smile when he saw how insecure he became. She was afraid at sudden that he was about to get another fit, but when he looked at her again, he said:

"I... I hope you didn't get trouble with His Majesty yesterday." He didn't face her and started fiddling with his blanket. "I told him it wasn't your fault, and...

Sighing silently in relief, she shook her head and smiled. "Oh no, I didn't. His Majesty was very kind. And..."

"Karen?"

The young maid froze and her eyes went wide by the mentioning of her name. She quickly rose from the bed, causing Ruddiger, who was leaning on her hand, to fall forward with his chin right on the bed.

"Y-yes, Phineas?" she failed to stay serious and an embarrassed smile appeared on her face.

The elder Physician smiled in the door as he held up a bottle in his left hand. "The tonic for the chef is ready."

"Oh, eh... Right." she said and looked at him, but then turned back to Varian, and back to Phineas again. Then she had one last look at the boy in bed and cleared her throat. "Well, I... I kind of have to go."

Varian too lost his smile. "Aw, you have to?" then he suddenly realized what he said and couched embarrassed. "Why, of course you have to because you are a maid in the castle and probably have important castle things to do, which is more important than... Yes, of course you're important... Servants are incredibly important."

"Oh, we are?" she turned back and arched and eyebrow at him, half smiling. "They normally don't notice us."

"Of course! I mean, the Castle doesn't exactly run itself. A household like the Castle is like a... a great mechanic construction; every single part has its role to play, and if one is broken or missing, then it all falls apart!" Varian was plainly serious when he spoke, gesticulating wildly with his hands and raising his voice, and forgot a moment how embarrassed he had been. "So you guys are incredibly important. And I recall what you said yesterday. You were the first to get up in the morning ,which mean that without you to start things here, how will it get on? The King and the Queen are completely depending on you!"

A little overwhelmed by his sudden praise, Karen stood all numb a moment and just blinked. Then it was like his words sank in and she sneakered. "Hm, that's... That's the first time I've heard that." she said, giving him a smile with half closed eyes as she felt her own cheeks change color again. Suddenly she no longer regretted on coming.

Varian on his side were suddenly struggling to prevent his freckled cheeks from changing color and tried to hide his head between his shoulders again, hiding his nervous laughter behind a closed mouth that ended up as a chocked snort and some other odd sounds that he didn't really have control over.

"That is true, indeed. Like yesterday, when the chef was sick and nothing went right!" Phineas interfered with a smile before he turned towards Karen and handed her a small bottle. "Now, it's important that he takes it all at once, and I'll prepare another for later this afternoon." He put the bottle in her hands, and smiled. "It might burn a little, but I trust he'll be a different being already tomorrow."

"Eh... Right." she said and felt quite foolish where she stood and straightened up. "Well, I guess I should be going... " she stopped herself and cleared her throat. "That means I have to come back to... fetch it... right?"

The Physician smirked, but didn't comment her, only replied. "About two o'clock. Does that sound alright?"

"Ah...ha!" she nodded and kneeled down before she turned one last time to Varian. "I'll eh... come back for... the tray then... Bye." Then she disappeared out of the door quick as a blink.

"Eh-bye... then..." Varian waved after her, but she were gone before he had managed to raise his hand. Lowering it again, he sank down on the pillows and let out a slight moan as he covered his face with both hands. "Aaahh... dumbdumbdumbdumb..."

"What's the trouble, lad? A pretty young girl comes with breakfast for you, and you seem upset?"

"Yeah, and I manage to screw up by insulting her." Varian sulked as he rose again, not facing him.

"That didn't sound at all like an insult to me." Phineas smirked. "Now, how creative have we been?" He grabbed a hold on the napkin tent and removed it, reveling tree, more or less round pancakes that smelled of cinnamon and butter, on top of oneother. Varian's eyes widened and he found himself staring at the tray in front of him, blinking as his eyes suddenly became misty.

"No one has made breakfast for me before..."

"Then show her some gratitude, and don't let it go to waste!" Phineas said and left him alone to eat, closing the door behind him.

"Gratitude..." Varian mumbled and sighed. "Guess I've got something to learn there... Or what, Ruddiger?"

Said raccoon wasn't paying attention, as he had taken for granted that the apple on the tray was intended for him, and were already half way through it. Varian couldn't help but give him small eyes and a dry smile as he crossed his arms. "You're welcome!"

**Just so people know, I made up Phineas' name based on a couple of Chinese names I found on the internet. I just needed a name. I don't mean to offend anyone with the way Varian pronounced it wrong, my apologizes if anyone gets insulted. And so people know, the name of Phineas does mean oracle, that was the reason I chose the name for him. **

**And notice, I don't know if he's just the royal baker, but I chose the chubby baker with the red beard and German accent for the Royal chef, as we have yet to be introduced to one. I just found it fitting. **


	39. Chapter 38 Morning for the Staff

**Chapter 38: Morning for the Staff**

**Thank you for following, AnimalBlossom36, and here, don't worry, now you won't go insane. I hope you, and all other followers, will be satisfied with this one. I say morning is going slow, but I can assure you it won't be boring. I have plans for this day, both for the royalties and for the staff; and for our darling dork of course. **

As Karen walked out of the sick room and headed for the doors to the corridor, she let out a sigh, suddenly feeling a bit lighter. No, allot lighter. Actually she had forgotten all about how Varian failed to recall her name at first and let the pricing of her profession take it's place. His words were ringing in hear ears and she felt like they lifted her up.

_The Majesties are completely depending on you. _

She wasn't aware of it, but she was laughing out loud and made a swirl on the floor out of happiness when she heard voice behind her.

"Karen?"

She got startled again, and got rather embarrassed when she turned around and saw the physician, feeling how rapidly warm her cheeks got again. "Uhm... Yes, Sir?" she replied, her voice barely holding.

Phineas approached, smiling lightly, not showing any sign of reaction to her silly behavior. "I take it the Majesties are about to wake up soon?"

"Yeah, I... I suppose so." she said, fiddling with her apron again. "Is there anything I can do?"

Phineas shook his head slightly. "Oh, it's nothing important. The King wanted a word with me, but there is no rush. I can't leave the young man in there unattended anyway, so I will have to wait till His Majesty comes to me."

"Of course you can't." she said, giving a short laugh. "I... I better get this to the chef then." she said, holding up the bottle.

"Send him my good wishes of recovering." the Physician said and opened the door for her.

"I will, Phineas. Thanks!" she replied and walked through the door. But she had barely managed to get outside before the two new guards spotted her, and got pale.

"Karen? Where did you come from?"

"You weren't allowed in here. It's not safe with you near the prisoner!"

"Huh?" Karen were disturbed by their direct approach. "What prisoner?"

The two guards exchanged confused looks and then looked back at her,. "The prisoner in the sick room, of course!" one of them said.

Phineas stiffened and prepared himself to interfere, but Karen were ahead of him and placing her hands on her hips she looked at them with small eyes like her Grandmother would have done, indicating how dumb she thought they acted.

"What are you talking about? There's no prisoner in the sick room!"

"WHAT!?" the two guards cried out in unison and looked at eachother, each of them panicking more than the other.

"He has escaped again!"

"We have got to tell the Captain!"

"Hurry up, or else wee too will end up polishing boots..."

"Gentlemen, here really is no need to..." Phineas called out after them, but they had already passed the corner, and he lowered the arm he had stretched out after them. Then he lowered it, letting out a frustrated sigh that sounded most like a growl and pinched the bridge of his nose and begun mumbling something in his own tongue before spitting. "Those guards makes my hair grow whither by the minute!" he mumbled as he closed the door behind him.

Karen was left alone, blinking in confusion, still pondering over everyone's odd behavior and started walking back to the kitchen, looking at the bottle in her hand and then glancing back to the medic's doors a moment, wondering to herself if this too was gonna be one of those days in the Castle.

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In the servant's lodgings, Violet had just finished getting ready and walked out through the door. But before closing it, she had one last look at her daughter. Millicent were still sleeping, her head halfway buried into her pillow and her short brown hair a mess around her face.

Violet gave her a pitiful look before she closed the door behind her. "My poor dear. Sleep a while longer. I'll handle the rest." Then she stepped towards the next door where a couple of other maids lived, and knocked gently on it. She heard voices from inside, and soon another maid opened, a tall, slender maid with long, auburn hair, still in her night gown. She widened her eyes when seeing her. "Oh, Violet. Are we late?"

"What?" another maid appeared in the door, with short red hair and a round face.

"No Diane, not at all. But I have to be early off today. You see my poor daughter worked herself off her shoes for Princess Annabelle yesterday, and I thought I'd cover that for her so she can rest out. That means I won't be able to help out preparing breakfast for the royalties, and I... might not be able to help out with the laundry later on. SO Diane, I want you to handle the morning meeting in my place, can you do that?"

"Eh... Sure, I can do it..." Diane widened her eyes and looked at her companion, who got a little concerned.

"Oh my... I hope it won't be like this for the next couple of months."

"Don't worry yourself, Sarah." Violet said with a calming smile. "If she becomes too demanding, I am going to have a word with Her Majesty about it. Just tell Millicent that she'll go help you with the laundry when she wakes up. Now prepare yourself. Yesterday was a disaster, so today must be better."

She hoped herself she sounded convincing as she turned to leave, but behind her, Diane and Sarah exchanged concerned looks as they watched her go.

"I have heard about this Princess Annabelle, but I've never seen her before." Sarah said. "She wasn't at Princess Rapunzel's coronation, was she?"

"No, we would have remembered." Diane said and suddenly got a sneaky smile on her lips, turning to her roommate. "I did hear a rumor, though... about her and Cassandra."

Sarah's concerned expression turned to a wide eyed exiting smile by the chance of some gossip. "Tell me, please!" she said as Diane closed the door behind them.

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Nigel let out a long, loud yawn when he closed the door to his bedroom behind him. Streching out once more, he began walking, blinking rapidly and rubbing his eyes with a hand.

The royal advisor didn't look like his normal good looking self this morning. Neither did he feel so. His hair was tied in its normal ponytail, but today he felt like his hair was flat and dry, and it wasn't as tight as it used to. He had large circles around his eyes and he looked pale, and his face looked longer than usual. He had tried his best to straighten his mustache to make it look as it normally did, but today he simply failed to shape it he usual way. As he walked he tried to fasten the lace in his neckline properly, but when he failed for the third time he simply just stuffed it down the neckline of his shirt.

"That will do. That's not first priority right now." he mumbled to himself, sounding far from the usual perfectionist self. "Oh, my eyes feels like sand..."

He gave his eyes another rub before he began walking up towards the third floor, almost stumbling in the first step. As he approached the royal bedroom, he stopped and dropped his jaw, his eyes went round and he was at sudden wide awake. Normally he would approach the royal bedroom and awaken His Majesty and then wait for his arrival. He was practically stunned as he watched King as he carefully closed the door to his own bedroom, already dressed and ready.

"S-sire? Have... have I overslept?" he stumbled, barely able to keep his voice normal.

King Frederic quickly turned around and hurried to hush him down, looking back at the door as if he hoped nobody would hear them. Then he hurried over to him, struggling with his clothes on the way as if they didn't fit right.

"No, not at all, Nigel. You haven't overslept. I... I just woke up early. That's all."

"Sire, let me..." Nigel hurried in front of him and forced him to stop, and before Frederic could react, the advisor begun started to untie the King's waistcoat. First now Frederic discovered that he had managed to tie the leather strings into the golden medallion around his neck. But Nigel gently released them from eachother before he tied up the waistcoat again it and took his liberty to carefully straighten the medallion as well. "There, Your Majesty, much better!"

Frederic couldn't help but chuckle a little. "How odd. I couldn't understand why it felt so tight. Thank you, Nigel."

"My pleasure, Your Majesty." Nigel replied low, then looked at him."Look, Sire. Em... If it's necessary with an hour more sleep, I suggest..."

Nigel were interrupted as he felt the King's hand on his shoulder as he led him further down the hallway. "No no, that won't be needed. Besides, The Queen needs it more than I. She... didn't sleep very well, I'm afraid." Frederic sank when he thought of his wife the previous night and looked back at the door with a sad look.

"Well, that makes two of us." Nigel said, being reminded of how badly he had slept himself. "I'm not sure if I have slept at all for a moment during the whole night. But then again, it's no wonder, after such events yesterday."

"I am only glad my cousin didn't stay."Frederic's face became a frown, raising his voice a little more as they went further and further away from the royal bedroom. "Had Valponce discovered Varian, we would all have been toast. We wouldn't hear the end of it."

"Sire. I have been thinking, and this is what kept me awake..." Nigel said. "I understand it was... Well, the situation made it practically impossible during the circumstances to avoid Prince Lars and his brother to discover Varian before we did..."

"Actually it was young Daniel who discovered him first." Frederic couldn't help but chuckle. "Youth now at days tends to come before us in many ways."

"Well, I feel I must be honest, Sire." Nigel went on with his speach. "Was it wise to let them know as much as they did?"

"Well, like you just said, Nigel. During the circumstances, it was impossible to avoid. Besides... Prince Lars was most understanding. And his brother too. I really liked that young man... Jonas, was it?"

"Jonas, yes Sire. Remarkable young man if I must say." For a moment Nigel became a little lighter. "Such a friendly character. The perfect gentleman, indeed! Princess Annabelle has been fortunate. We know how difficult it has been for the Duke to marry her off. But..." Nigel got back into his serious mode. "Speaking of Princess Annabelle... I only fear that if she gets to hear about this, she might slip the word to the Duke."

"I doubt very well that would be. You recall it was Prince Lars who said it would be a good idea to keep Annabelle all out of this? According to what he said she seems to be... completely unable to keep secrets. We better not let her into this."

"No, that might be a good idea. And therefore we must be extremely careful. Especially now with her wedding coming up."

"Oh dear... I had completely forgotten about that." Frederic suddenly looked all worn out. "That... is definitely the last thing Arianna need now."

"As much as I agree, Sire, I don't like the thought of it. But on the other hand, it could be a major topic that, for the moment, would help us all keep the Princess away from the talk of Varian."

"As much as I hate to admit it... That is a fact, indeed." Frederic rolled his eyes and sighed. "What a fine stew we have managed to stumble into. But we simply have to stumble our way through it. Phineas said two weeks, and then..." he sighed. "Well, we're simply forced to wait and see."

"Two weeks..." Nigel sighed and rolled his eyes. "Very well."

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The Captain of the guards were stumping his way with the two guards behind him.

"This better not be true! We have never used so many guards before. It's impossible he could have escaped! And if he has, Phineas will have to answer for it."

"There should have been more of us, Captain." one of the guards said.

"I wanted to, but that hopeless physician wouldn't let me." He stopped outside the medic's quarters and banged the door. "Open this instant, Phineas! That's an order!"

The door went open, and the foreign physician squinted his small eyes at the two guards behind him as if he shot daggers at them. "Well there you two imbeciles are. How dare you just run off like that without even consulting with me if your assumption were true or not?"

"Huh?" the guards looked at eachother, and then back at him. "What do you..."

The Captain was about to put in a word, but the physician didn't let him in as he went on.

"First of all, I thought we all agreed that we were supposed to not mention Varian as a prisoner when young Karen was around to avoid scaring her."

"But..." the other guard stumbled. "She walked right in."

"Indeed. Right under your very noses, when you two were snoozing." Phineas said dryly with sarcasm in his voice. "A good thing I had given him a strong sleeping tonic and that I was there to prevent him from waking up and wander off by himself." He turned towards the Captain, glaring even sharper. "I assured you last night, Captain, that I had everything under control."

The Captain blinked, getting just as confused as his two guards. "Does this mean he's still in there?"

The physician's eyes grew even smaller. "I believe I just said that. You may come and see for yourself, but only if you remain absolute quiet, and you dare not show yourself to him. The slightest of unnecessary hint of fight might cause damage to his head, and His Majesty won't like it if that happens! But your guards remain outside, where they are supposed to be!"

The Captain of the guards blinked and signalized the two others to remain at the spot while he followed the Physichian into the reception room. There, the physician opened the door slightly and gave him harsh signals of remaining quiet. Then he stepped aside for the Captain to approach, and the Captian peeked through the thin opening, and his eyes got wide when he looked inside.

Cause Varian were indeed there, sitting in the bed with some kind of breakfast, the raccoon by his side, eyeing his every move.

The Captain blinked and rubbed his eyes before having another look, but there were the same view as just a second ago. But the sight didn't give him relief. On the other hand he didn't know what to feel. Because even though he saw Varian in here, it wasn't really Varian as he was used to. The goggles and the apron was gone, and all he saw was a young boy eating breakfast, looking all calm and... not frowning? He even chuckled with his mouth full of food when the raccoon climbed up his shoulders.

As soon as he realized that the Captain was convinced, the physician pushed the door till it closed. "Well, Captain?"

"I say..." he begun as he turned back. "He was actually eating for once!"

"It seems so." Phineas said, smirking in satisfaction.

But then he got serious and looked at him. "But Karen... How could you allow her to..."

"Like I said yesterday, he doesn't recall being a dangerous criminal. So therefore he had no reason to harm her. On the contrary, I think that young girl has a better hold on him than any of your guards has ever had. So why would it be that bad?"

The Captain got frustrated by his constant lack of concern and frowned at him. "Phineas, may I remind you whom we are talking about here?"

The physician didn't reply at first, only stared at him, remaining calm. "Captain, I believe it is _I _who must remind _you_ of what kind of issue we are dealing with! We have been through such a matter once before, if you do not recall?"

"I have absolutely no idea of what you mean with that!" he replied, crossing his arms.

"Oh well... I believe it's important to refresh your memory then." he said and walked towards his lab, opening the door and gesticulated with his right hand that he were to enter. "After you, Captain!"

The Captain hesitated, but decided in the end it was better to follow. So he entered the medic's lab and the physician closed the door behind him.

**DUMDUMDUM-DUUUUMM... What now? **


	40. Chapter 39

**Chapter 38: Pete and Stan meet Princess Annabelle **

**Ops! I forgot to mention that the two maids from the last chapter, Diane and Sarah, are the two other maids that showed up in QFAD during the song 'I Got This'. To be correct, Sarah offered an apple, and Diane offered the yellow shoes. As far as I have noticed, that's the only time they show up, but I needed more maids for this, so they were perfect. I may use them later if the occasion fits. **

"I think it's so unfair, Stan!" Pete sulked as he and his friend walked through the hallway, each of them carrying a sack each of potatoes. "Despite Varian's escape, I think we did our best yesterday. I mean, imagine if someone else had handled him. What if Joe or Samson had done it? Or Leopold and Frank, or perhaps Ben or George? It's not certain they would have been able to handle him at all."

"I agree, but I don't think we should complain too much about it." Stan said determinant. "Besides, now we won't have to deal with him anymore. The Captain has put up so many guards that it's not necessary for us to be with him. To be honest, I don't really mind getting some days without having to deal with that crazy kid."

Pete shrugged and sighed. "Oh, I guess you're right. It's just that I... Oh my..." He suddenly stopped, his eyes growing wide and his jaw dropped.

"What?" Stan stopped and looked at his friend. "Pete, what is the matter with you?" He waved a hand in front of him and tried to get contact with his friend. "Pete? Pete, answer me!"

Stan turned around and found the reason for Pete's odd behavior, and found the most extravagant reason that could be. He gasped as he spotted the being that approached them from the other end of the corridor.

Approaching them was a lovely lady with a light teal colored silk gown with embroideries on the slender bodice and laces on the half long sleeves and the low neckline, and a huge skirt puffed up with several layers of petticoats of light blue chiffon. Her auburn hair were tied back from her face and the many perfectly shaped corkscrew curls were dancing on her shoulders as she walked with the dignity of an empress. Her light powdered skin, her bright red lips and the beauty mark on the left side of her nose and her long eyelashes made her look like a perfectly shaped china figurine.

And it looked like she was perfectly well aware of it.

"Pete, stop staring." Stand whispered panicky, trying to shake both his shoulders to awake him, with no result. "What has gotten into you?"

But Stan were for the moment talking to air, as Pete had trouble taking his eyes of the divine female as she walked closer. He was prepared to have her walk past him, but he got all confused when she stopped right in front of him.

"What are you staring at, you imbecile?" she spat sharply as she became aware of him.

Pete's already foolish appearance must have reached its climax when his face, with eyes threatening to pop out of his head, broke up in a wide foolish smile.

"You, for you are definitely the most outstanding beautiful being I have ever seen, and will ever see, in my life!"

Stan facepalmed himself at his friend's suddenly unexpected outburst.

At first the lady looked like she had just had a sudden slap in her face and wasn't certain of how to react. But then her eyes grew smaller as she glared at him. "Are you going to just stand there, or open the door for me?"

"Why, of course! I'll open the door for you, madam-eh... My lady?" Pete hurried to grab a hold on the right of the double doors to the dining room, bowing down deeply and as elegant as he could, peeking carefully up at her, still with the foolish smile on his face.

"Princess!" she spat back. "Princess Annabelle!"

"What a lovely name! I'm Pete!" Pete replied as he rose and, not thinking clearly at the moment, reached out his hand. Stan grabbed a hold on his mustache with both hands as if to control his mouth, deeply embarrassed on behalf of his friend.

But all Princess Annabelle did was to arch a perfectly shaped eyebrow at him, narrowing her hazel brown eyes at him. "And WHY should that interest me?"

Pete's foolish smile were threatening to burst as the icy cold words hit him like a snowball in the face.

"If you dare speaking to me again, you peasant, I'll have you whipped! Now open the door this instant!"

Pete opened the door, not really aware of what he was doing, and by that, she turned away from him and walked into the dining room, leaving Pete with a heartbroken pout as he closed the door behind her.

"Pete, I must say..." Stan was about to give a lecture to him, but when he saw how upset his friend became where he stood, his bottom lip quivering like on a child being scowled. So he swallowed it and walked over and gave him a pat on his shoulder. "Don't care about that, Pete. Some women just aren't worth it." He picked up the potato sack he had dropped on the floor and handed it to him. "Come on, pal. We've got work to do."

Pete sighed and wiped his nose with a gloved finger before he grabbed the sack. "Yeah, I guess so..."

#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#

"But I'm not hungry for that!" Daniel complained loudly from his seat by the table, between his father and his uncle. Both the grownups seemed a bit frustrated over the boy's lacking interest in his food, not to mention his lack of manners. Lars sighed and touched his son's shoulder gently to get him turn to him.

"Come on, son. Smoked salmon really isn't that bad."

"But I don't like it, and I don't wanna eat it!" the boy crossed his arms adamant and turned away, raising his nose in the air. "And you can't make me!"

"But you haven't tried it yet." Lars said, getting more and more frustrated by his son's behavior.

"But I know I don't like it!" the young Prince replied.

Frederic sat on the edge of the table, and watched the scene with the boy refusing to finish his breakfast. "And I thought Varian was quite a problem." he whispered as he leaned his head discreetly towards Nigel, who stood beside him with a bundle of papers in his hands containing the day's program.

"At least the Young Prince is not throwing his food." Nigel said, as he too had discreetly been watching the scenario with another kind of meal fresh in mind.

Frederic had to hold back a chuckle when he recalled how Varian had thrown the slice of turkey right across the table. It had obviously been intended for him, but bad luck had lead it towards Nigel, who had been far from pleased.

But both men looked up when they heard Daniel give a loud cry, and then saw him throw his fork across the table, hit the wall on the other side, and land on the floor with a few jumps. Both men were mute for a moment, before Frederic turned to Nigel, unable to keep back a smirk and an arched eyebrow. "You were saying?"

The talk around the table went all silent as the trio suddenly heard the doors went open, and Nigel found a grand excuse to change the subject. As Annabelle strolled into the room, the royal advisor approached her and gave a deep bow.

"Ah, Princess Annabelle! How splendid you look in this morning!"

"Of course, why shouldn't I?" Annabelle said sarcastically as she walked past him.

Jonas were up in a wink and rushed over to greet her. "Good morning, my dear." he said smiling as he took her hand in his and kissed it. "Did you sleep well?"

"Barely." she replied dryly, but she smiled at him when he pulled out the chair for her to the King's right. Then she turned to Frederic with a frown. "Uncle, you have got to something with those guards of yours. I have never seen such lack of discipline on a castle staff. I assure you, my father would have had such fools whipped and replaced."

"Oh dear, thank goodness he's not here then." Frederic mumbled and rolled his eyes.

"Hm?" Annabelle gave him a half look.

"I said, eh... nothing."Frederic coughed shortly before smiling ot her. " I said good morning, my dear." He briefly exchanged looks with Nigel, who returned to his place beside him, both of them suddenly aware that this was obviously not a good morning at all for the Princess.

"Very well..." she said, not satisfied as she looked around the room. "Where is auntie? She'll miss breakfast."

"You were late too!" Daniel said in a mocking tone, forgetting about the salmon on the plate for a moment.

She turned around to give him a glare. "Uncle Lars, smack his tongue." she said harshly, not taking her eyes of Daniel.

"Well..." Lars looked up in the roof, then lead a hand behind his head as he peeked halfway at her. "You were rather late today, Annabelle..."

"Are you siding with him now?" she were almost snarling at him. "If you have to know, it was that ghastly girl you gave me for a lousy excuse for a lady-in-waiting. She never showed up. Instead there was an old hag that came to tend to me. One worse than the other!"

"Has old Lady Crowley started replacing the maids?" Nigel mumbled to himself, shortly exchanging looks with the King, who looked just as confused.

"Oh? Weren't you satisfied with Millicent?" Frederic asked, remaining calm.

"Oh, so they go by names here?" Annabelle replied dryly. "I demand another, more punctual!"

Frederic arched an eyebrow at her, then turned back to his food. "Well, I'll... see what I can do!"

"And you, butler?"

It took Nigel a moment to realize that it was him she was talking to. "Hm? Me, Princess?"

"Yes, you moron." she spat back. "Are you going to serve me, or not?"

"Eh... I beg your..." Nigel were so whipped of the branch that he for a moment forgot his manners and couldn't help but drop the papers on the floor, along with his jaw. Then he quickly covered his mouth and sent a look at the King, who also seemed a little confused at the situation.

"Well, you don't expect me to serve myself, do you?" Annabelle gave him a glare with small eyes.

Everyone around the table went silent from her comment. Even Daniel stopped complaining about his food and stared from his cousin, then Nigel, and back to his cousin, not really understanding what was going on.

In the end, Frederic felt he had enough and turned to her again, a bit more strict this time. "Annabelle, Nigel is my personal advisor, and not a servant not that sort that you refer to! It is not his job to serve any of us. So may I ask that you do not address to him in the tone?"

"Are you trying to tell me that you have all been serving yourself this morning?" She rolled her eyes and huffed. "Incredible!"

Nigel didn't reply, but as he bent down to pick up his papers, he allowed his face to turn into a frown before he got a hold on himself as he rose.

Sensing he tension in the room, Jonas rose from his own seat and grabbed the plate with scrambled eggs and a slice of loaf that he brought over to her and started putting some on her plate as he cleared his throat carefully.

"Annabelle. "Eh... Sweetheart? I... I have an appointment with Daniel this morning, but I thought perhaps that after that maybe you and I could take a stroll together? Perhaps in the garden?"

"Why the garden, of all things?" she said, still frustrated.

"Oh well, I was actually just hoping to... be alone with you!" he leaned closer to her and whispered the last words as he was to serve her some smoked salmon, catching her eyes as she turned towards him. "Would you like some butter on your bread?" he said low as he smiled to her.

His dashing appearance made her smile, and there was a slight blush underneath the powder on her face. "A little, perhaps!"

Daniel looked at them and reached his tongue out of pure disgust. "Yuck!"

"Yes... Yuck!" Lars replied as he rested his chin on a hand, leaning his elbow on the table as he looked away from the lovebirds. A distant and suddenly sad look appeared in his deep, brown eyes that no one noticed at the moment and he let his eyes wander until the somehow landed on his son's unfinished dish.

Then his eyes suddenly lightened up when he got a slight idea and turned to his son again. "Eh, Daniel? If you take only one bite of the salmon, we can go straight to Varian. Alright?" He used his knife and fork to cut off a forth part of the smoked salmon. "You don't even have to chew it, just swallow it whole. And then we can go. Deal?" He gave his son a hopeful, encouraging smile as he hoped it would work.

He leaned closer and whispered into his ear. "Then we don't have to watch them!" he pointed with his finger toward Jonas and Annabelle, still flirting with eachother.

Daniel didn't answer right away, but as soon as Annabelle started laughing at something Jonas said, he looked at the salmon at his plate, had one more look at Annabelle and then made up his mind and grabbed a hold on the small slice with his fork. He hesitated one last moment, but when he heard Annabelle say "Oh, Jonas..." he couldn't take it anymore. So he put the salmon in his mouth and with a few retches, he managed to swallow it. His father gave him the rest of his own fruit juice to swallow it down with before the boy spoke out.

"NOW can we go?"

"Of course!" Lars said, the relief glowing in his brown eyes as he rose from his chair. "Right away!"

"HURRAY! Come on, uncle Jonas!" Daniel jumped off his chair and ran past his uncle, grabbing a hold on his right hand and pulled his poor, unknowing uncle, right off his feet in a swirl as he had just finished smearing butter on Annabelle's bread, whipping Annabelle of her branch as the bread landed in her lap, causing her to give a cry. Poor Jonas had barely managed to get back on his feet when Daniel dragged him along out the doors.

While Nigel were shocked by the sudden scene, Frederic couldn't help himself and chuckled by the sight.

Lars laughed and rose from his chair, looking at Frederic. "May I be excused, Your Majesty? I... I should go and check that my brother keeps his shoes on the way."

"By all means." Frederic wiped his mouth and put his napkin down. Then he rose from the table. "Not at all. I mind as well accompany you. I need to speak to Phineas."

Annabelle managed to avoid getting butter on her dress and placed the bread on her plate like it was a disgusting rat, and turned back to look at him. "What? Are you all leaving me?"

"We have finished eating, my dear. And I must see the physician. The Queen didn't feel so well last night, so I must ask him to do something about it. Enjoy your breakfast, my dear. Come, Nigel." Frederic said as he walked with Lars towards the door.

"Yes, Sire." the advisor replied, doing his best to hide how relieved he was to leave the room, and hurried to open the door for the two royalties. "Shall I prepare the documents for Your Majesty in the meantime?"

"Yes, sort them out and wait for me in my office. I don't know how long it will take, but I suppose we have time..." Frederic said as Nigel closed the doors behind them.

Annabelle was all mute as she was left alone in the dining hall. Then she gave a loud huff and grabbed the napkin and started unfolding it. But as she gave it a harsh whip to straighten it out, she suddenly felt a sharp cent and before she could help it she gave a sneeze. Then she looked at the napkin, spotting hints of brown powder, and her rage returned.

"Oh, that little... DANIEEEEELLL!"


End file.
